Wingz
by Ayeka Penor
Summary: I'm back! It's GWing, TMuyo, and SMoon. The Scouts have surfaced! Odin has a crush, and Heero is the one he goes to for advice. (This is a big mistake.) Then the asteroid belt is, err, replaced. Now the enemy has surfaced!(Sort of.)COMPLETE
1. In the Beginning, There Was Maneating Zu...

Author's Note: I've missed you guys! ::sniff, sniff:: I'm okay, really. I just get so emotional about being able to write again! I might as well warn you that the chapters will probably be shorter than what I used to produce just because of time limits. Sorry!

            Duo looked at the sky and sighed. Behind that blue veil was another world, an entire crop of colonies that were going up in almost record numbers as demand for living space increased. More and more of Earth was being bought up for conservation, soon he'd have to leave and move back up to space. He missed Hilde, but after the war the Earth had begun to feel like home.

            "Daddy!" squealed a voice. Duo sat up in the grass and turned just in time to get shoved back down as a toddler jumped on him. He laughed and held the little girl tight.

            "I'm not going to let go!" he said. The child wriggled until she'd escaped his arms and got to her feet. She put her hands on her waist and looked down at him triumphantly. 

            "Ha! I got away! Mommie said it's dinner time." Then she turned and ran away. Duo sat up again and followed her with his eyes as she ascended the front steps of a small farmhouse and went in. With a resigned sigh, a full-grown Duo got to his feet and headed in. Years of rough living had left his body creaking like an old man's. All the Gundam pilots were having problems with their bodies only four years after the final battle. Sally had said it was from the incredible stresses they'd subjected themselves to, and Trowa was the worst off because he'd been piloting mobile suits since before he could remember.

            Duo came into the kitchen and looked around. A little red-headed girl turned in her chair at the table and smiled. He grinned and ruffled her hair and she cried out in protest. "Mommie" was at the fridge putting the milk away. Duo slid into his seat and asked, "Where's the food?" His response was an almost instantaneous rap on the head with an unidentified object. Whatever it was, was hard.

            His assailant sat down opposite him and he saw the weapon had been a serving spoon. "Mommie" raised her eyes to Duo's and said, "The last things left to pack are the kitchen ware. I can't thank you enough, Duo for helping us."

            Duo waved a hand. "It's nothing, the least I could do for an old friend. How was your last day at school, Washu?"

            The little girl grinned. "It was great! Mrs. Hanson said I could sit in the VIP seat, and Lila gave me a locket, see?" Duo reached out and lifted the little silver locket away from Washu's front and turned it over. 

            "That's nice, even from your best friend," he said. Then Duo looked at the other occupant of the table and asked, "No one gave you any trouble, Misaki?"

            The woman shook her head. "No, the movers were actually very considerate." She sighed and her pink eyes roved about the room. "I'm going to miss this old place. At least now I get to join my sister. How is Hilde?"

            Duo smiled. "You know her, never anything wrong. Judging from her tone and all, I'd guess someone else tried to get her to sell an un-scrapped suit." The adults were silent and the only sound was of Washu as she hummed and the occasional knife scraped against a plate. As the meal drew to a close, Duo said, "Washu, tomorrow you're going to go live with Mommie Hilde, so get to bed early."

            She nodded and jumped down form her chair. Then she ran around and waited for Misaki and Duo to pick her up in turn and let her give them a kiss on the cheek. That nightly ritual over, she ran upstairs to where her nightclothes had been left out. Duo got up and went into what had been the living room. There was only a laptop left, it was sitting on the floor with the screen glowing a blank blue. He sat down in front of it and started typing.

            'This donation is in loving memory of our dear sister, Funaho. Her dying wish was for her assets to be dedicated to a new building at the Locke Institute to allow others to enjoy it as much as she did.  P.S. Her daughter, Washu, is expected to be able to collect all benefits from such a generous gift.

                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                    Hilde Schbeiker & Misaki Jurai


	2. Then There Was Three

Author's Note: Wahoo! Weekends are beautiful! (Please review if you think so too!)

            P.S. Arigato Sailoraekanataku!

            Hilde wrung her hands and paced. This was going to be tough. She hadn't seen her sister in years, and Misaki had always been the perky older sister everyone loved. Not that Hilde resented her, but the fact that they would live together once again was going to be odd. Then add Funaho's death and little Washu…poor girl…

            There was a banging noise on the door and she jumped. She ran to the door and turned on the monitor to see who it was. Duo's deep blue eyes blinked at her. With a nervous smile, she brushed her hair back and opened the door. Duo barged in, loaded down with baggage. "Hey Hilde, where should I dump this stuff off?"

            She pointed to the stairs and he sighed. Hilde suppressed a giggle as Duo began to awkwardly climb the stairs. Then she turned to the door and her smile froze in place. Misaki stood there, looking around with genuine curiosity. Their eyes met and Hilde opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment a bright red head walked in past Misaki and grinned at Hilde. As Hilde looked down at the child, the girl raised her arms and said, "Up!"

            Hilde felt a tender smile appear on her lips and bent down to oblige. As she rested Washu on her hip, the toddler reached up and placed a finger under Hilde's left eye. She stared intently at Hilde's face and smiled. "I'm going to have a sister!" Hilde's mouth dropped open in shock. A hand rested itself on her shoulder and she looked up into her sister's concerned eyes. Washu started playing with Hilde's hair, oblivious to the stir she'd just caused.

            "Hilde?" Misaki said. "Does he know?" It was obvious she meant Duo.

            Hilde shook her head and Washu squealed as her plaything twitched. "No, I only learned about it yesterday when I went to the doctor about an upset stomach." She lowered her voice, "I've been on the pill, but I guess there's always that chance."

            A creaking noise signaled Duo's descent of the stairs and Hilde turned around and marched up to Duo. Washu lost interest in Hilde's hair long enough to get transferred to "Daddy." Hilde watched Duo take her niece out back and sighed. "I'll have to tell him soon."

            Misaki shrugged and they both went upstairs to unpack.

~5 months later~

            "Hi! You ever been to one of these before?" Hilde looked up at grinning young woman with silver hair. She looks so…so…majestic! Hilde thought. Hilde smiled and shook her head. 

            "No, this is the first for me and Duo." She cast a look over to the side and watched Duo talk with a group of other guys who'd come to the parenting class. Hilde had been forced to practically drag him in the last five steps. Then he'd spotted the other trapped young men and leapt into their company. The idea of being a father had scared Duo at first, she'd read it in his eyes, but then he'd picked her up and swung her around as he laughed. Yes, Duo was going to make a great father. Besides, this class was more of a formality. They both knew how to care for kids, Washu had settled down into her new school with ease. Her mother's death didn't seem to bother her overly much.

            Hilde's companion rested a hand on her extended stomach. "Mine's due in three months, how about you?"

            Hilde patted her tummy and said, "Barely two more for me, if this little imp possesses any sort of punctuality unlike her father." They sat down in a couple of chairs and started exchanging small talk. The teacher came in and the people milling about settled down next to their partners. Hilde saw several women by themselves, and felt a moment of pity for them before fixing her attention to the front.

            After the class, Hilde and Duo said farewell to their new friends and went home. Hilde sighed happily in the car and said, "I can't wait to get this basket of grapes off my hips." Duo chuckled.

            "Missing your womanly curves? Don't worry, I still love ya." Hilde punched him lightly on the arm and sat back to watch the buildings of the colony zip by the window. In a few minutes, they were home. Hilde came in first and was prepared for the little cannonball that slammed into her legs. She patted the red hair and peeled the arms off her.

            "How was your class?" Washu asked. 

            Duo came in and closed the door. "Amazingly instructive." Hilde went off to listen to whatever Washu was bantering on about, and Duo waited until they were out of earshot before going to the phone. "May I speak to Mr. Winner? It's Duo Maxwell."

            Only a moment later, the voice of good ol' Quatre was on the line. "Hi, Duo, why'd you call?"

            Duo took a deep breath and said, "You know how I feel about Hilde and all, but a junkyard isn't a place for raising kids. We've already got Washu living with us and are expecting another, so…Do you think you could find me a job down on Earth? With my skills there's only so much I'm good for."

            Quatre was silent for a little while and then he said, "You've sure grown up a lot, Duo, I never expected to hear such sense coming from you." Duo opened his mouth to give some wise-ass reply, but Quatre continued. "I do believe I could get you a spot down on Earth. That is, if you can wait several months, these things take time to set up with people selling Earth in big chunks and turning it into resorts."

            Yeah, Duo understood perfectly. "I hear ya, maybe I'll be able to stop by sometime and see you and Trowa."

            "That would be great! Hey, Heero and Relena are coming up for Thanksgiving, what do you say?"

            Duo grinned. Pass up an opportunity to poke fun at Heero? Never! "We'll be there." 

            Hilde tossed the paper back on the desk, sat back and sighed. It was bad, it was really bad. Usually she managed to keep track of accounts so no "awkward" parts got out to the same person. Yet here was an almost complete Leo's worth of parts to the same address. She rubbed her eyes and got to her feet. Well, nothing she could do about it now. "Mommie?" said a voice. She looked down and saw Washu looking up at her with her hands held behind her back. There was an eager look in her eyes.

            "Yes?" Washu brought she was holding behind herself forward and Hilde blinked. It was the core system of a hyper jammer! It was something she'd learned from Duo when repairing his Gundam, Deathscythe. The device hid an object in space so it could carry out sneak attacks or go by unnoticed. How had Washu gotten such a rough copy? "Washu, where'd you find that?"

            Washu pouted. "I _made_ it. Daddy told me all about his Gundam and the wars, so I thought it was a cool idea and…" Now she looked like she was going to be sad.

            Hilde sighed for the trillionth time that day and held out her arms. "Come here, Dear, and lets have a look at this beautiful invention of yours." Washu perked up immediately and had had to resort to sitting on the desk because Hilde had no available lap space. Washu then gave Hilde an amazingly clear and rational explanation of how the hyper jammer worked and what each part was responsible of doing, etc. It was then that Hilde really saw how special Washu was. 

            This little girl was going to one of the most prestigious schools in the colonies with children a couple years older than herself. She'd been able to tell on sight that Hilde was pregnant, and recreated an advanced and secret mobile suit device. Hilde began to wonder what Washu could do if her genius was aimed in a direction away from the remains of war. Not for the first time, Hilde wished she and Duo had some other livelihood to depend on than the scrap heap in back that the Sweeper Group was constantly replenishing.

            After dinner, Hilde sent Washu upstairs to bed and said, "Duo, with Misaki gone to live on her own, Wash's had full run of the place. Do you know what she brought me today?" Duo shook his head. "A hyper jammer made completely out of the spare parts from out back." Duo had been busily shoving the remaining food on the table into his mouth. He choked and Hilde gave him a thump on the back as he coughed.

            When he was able to breathe again, he said, "A hyper jammer? She _made_ a hyper jammer all by herself?" Hilde nodded. Duo's eyes were wide. "I never thought it possible. Maybe…" he trailed off.

            Hilde picked up the empty plates, (leftovers don't exist in a household with a Duo in it) and said, "I was thinking about it, and decided we've got to move. We can't only supply her with the pieces from the war, she needs a more productive outlet." Duo was leaning his elbows against the table and seemed to be thinking hard about something. Finally, he got up and used is hands to guide Hilde in a 360. 

            Looking into her eyes, he said, "I've already asked around. There's still four months to go, but then we're going to have a home on Earth."

            Hilde stared up at Duo. "Y-you mean we're going to Earth? But everyone's leaving!"

            Duo put a finger on her lips and said with a smile, "Everyone? No, Quatre told me he's invested in developing some land as a personal thing on the side. Why that guy is doing even _more_ work, I don't know, but he's offered us one of the homes and hopes that we'll join him for Thanksgiving so he and I can talk about employment opportunities—"

            Hilde flung her arms around Duo's neck and gave him a firm kiss. Pulling back, her eyes sparkled as she said, "I knew there was hope for you yet!"

            Duo lowered his head to kiss her neck and said, "Nah, I'm very much a fallen little angel."

~2 weeks to due date~

            "Gah! This-is-torture!" Hilde shouted. She collapsed back on the pillow as another contraction left her. Sweat plastered her hair to her forehead as yet another contraction seized her and she squeezed her eyes shut. "Eeeeeee!"

            Duo paced outside, more because the doctors had no room in the delivery room than out of choice. He wasn't alone, about five other men of varying ages were milling about wearing paths into the carpet. A tall young man with black hair and deep blue eyes paced near the door. Duo paused, surprised he hadn't seen his friend come in. Walking over, Duo said, "I never expected to meet you here."

            Endymion smiled. "Nor I you, but life happens." He looked at the doorway as a doctor came in. The man in scrubs motioned to a pale, middle-aged man with brown hair who leapt to his feet and darted out the door. The remaining occupants sighed and returned to whatever they'd been doing. Duo turned back to Endymion as the man said, "Serenity wasn't expecting to have to go through this for another two weeks, I wonder what brought it on?"

            Duo nodded. "I know what you mean. Hilde technically had that much longer, too."

            Endymion frowned and took out a personal planner. He pushed a few buttons and his eyebrows went up. Duo waited. "Well?"

            The man sighed and closed the planner. "Today is the full moon on Earth, women who are expecting sometimes go into labor a little early. It's never been really proven, but you hear thins."

            Duo shrugged. "I believe. Jeez, how much longer will this take?" Just as he said it, a couple of doctors came into the waiting room and called for Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Luna. They dashed down the hall to their wives. Duo entered on a scene of pure beauty. Hilde leaned back comfortably on the pillows as a nurse wiped her forehead with a cloth. A bundle lay in her arms.

            Hilde looked up and saw Duo frozen in the doorway. "You can come in now, they won't kick you out," she said in a voice somewhat breathy from screams. Duo came in slowly and the nurse smiled at him as she left. He looked down at the pink face in the blanket and stared. 

            A fine, purple fuzz covered the baby's scalp and it blinked baby blue eyes at him. He blinked. "I never expected them to be such a light blue," he said.

            Hilde chuckled. "Lots of babies are born with blue eyes and they change later. There's plenty of time for them to turn as dark as yours, you vain male." Duo grinned and gave Hilde a deep kiss. 

            "I'm so proud of you," he said to her. She held up the baby and Duo slowly took it. "Uh, I don't know why I didn't ask before, but is it a boy or a—"

            "It's a girl," Hilde said with a satisfied smile. She closed her eyes with a sigh and said, "How about we name her…Ayeka."


	3. Then There Was Six

Author's Note: School can definitely be a Myoga-the-flea kind of being. (Inu-yasha) However, I will continue to swat that obnoxious bugger just to see him float to the ground as flat as a pancake. Now, PLEASE R+R IF YOU ARE READING THIS! Doing these stories is a waste of time if no one will read them and tell me how to improve.

            "Slow down! AHHH!" Hilde gripped the car door with enough force to hear the plastic creak. Duo cast a sideways look at his wife and complied. She slowly let got of the door handle and turned to look at him. "Do you want to get there late and alive, or dead?" she shrieked.

            Duo strummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "As I see it, the shuttle leaves whether or not we're on it," he said. There was a giggling noise from the back and Hilde turned to see little Ayeka playing with her hands in front of her face with glee. She was so fortunate to have a baby which found its own means of entertainment other than ceaselessly crying. Washu handed Ayeka a key chain to play with. As Duo pulled into the parking garage, Hilde gathered their carry-on luggage for the mad dash to the gate.

            They made it with a few minutes to spare. As the settled into their seats, Hilde asked Duo, "Do you think Heero and Relena will ever have kids?"

            Duo shrugged. "Maybe, but not right now. Relena is too busy jumping from colony to colony to Earth to get pregnant. Of course, if she does, it will mean politics will get rather boring and unproductive while she takes her leave." Relena Yuy was the main gear grinder in the political machine, take her away and production slowed to a crawl. The only people who could be cheered by this were the ones who had to enforce all the new policy. Relena leaving to start a family would give them time to catch up.

            Several people around the Maxwells' seats complemented little Ayeka as she played with a block key-chain in her rather inept hands. As they took off and left gravity, Hilde eyed Ayeka wearily. The baby seemed to pause momentarily in her game with the key ring, and the started emphatically waving her arms around and emitting the wet baby giggles of joy. Nearby passengers grinned to themselves and tried not to seem too interested. 

            While some babies didn't like space, many found it comforting to be floating around again. Ayeka was only a few months old, and Hilde realized that with a father like Duo, who was born for space, Ayeka should feel right at home.

            They landed on Quatre's colony a few hours later. As they carried their stuff out of the space port, someone started shouting, "Duo! Hilde! Over hear!" The couple turned to see Relena waving to them by the curb. A white stretch limo was parked there, Heero leaned against it with his arms crossed. It wasn't until they were only a few feet away and the crowd was thin enough that Relena could see the baby carrier and gasped. "She's adorable!"

            Heero looked at Duo and raised an eyebrow. Duo set his bags down and slung an arm over his buddy's shoulders. "You'll understand someday, but until then—"

            "Daddy?" said a voice by their feet. Duo and Heero looked down and Duo's jaw fell open. A blond-hared, blue-eyed little boy stood at Heero's leg, tugging insistently. Heero gave Duo and look and crouched down.

            "Yeah, Odin?"

            The boy eyed Duo before looking back at his father. "That's a baby," he said pointing to Ayeka who was being passed from Relena back to Hilde.

            Heero smiled, a genuine and warm smile that made Duo nearly fall over in shock. "Yes it is, why don't you get back in the car?" The boy nodded and managed to climb from the curb back into the limo.

            "How old is he?" Duo asked.

            Heero cast a look in Relena's direction. "He's two, but we managed to keep the pregnancy a quiet thing. Relena wants more, but I'm not so sure it's a good idea."

            Duo grinned and patted his friend on the back. "Oh come on! Relena needs a little girl to teach all her knowledge of men to, because I don't think Ayeka will suffice."

            Heero looked at the baby in Hilde's arms and the red-hared girl beside her. "Which one's Ayeka?"

            Duo pointed to the baby. "That's Ayeka. The other is Little Washu, Hilde's sister's daughter. She died and left Washu to our care." He sobered a bit. "It was a bit of a shock, Funaho's death, but Washu has been doing amazingly well. She's a genius.

            Quatre, Dorothy and Trowa met their guests at the front door. Duo had been impressed by the size of the house, but the only thing that surprised him more was Quatre's arm around a very pregnant Dorothy. Trowa was busy trying to get a little boy, who looked around Odin's age, off his leg. "Arm's like steel, that one," Quatre said as Duo commented on Trowa's struggled to remove his little parasite. Then a second body appeared out of seemingly nowhere to grab the other leg. "And the twins are identical in every way you can imagine."

            There were congratulations passed around and summaries of people's lives thus far. Then the women went off with the kids (Quatre and Dorothy's twins had been removed from "Uncle Owa's" legs) leaving the guys to talk about business. Quatre sat down in the living room and said, "Before I tell you about the houses, I'd better make sure the jobs I've lined up for you are to your satisfaction." He picked up some papers from the table in front of him and passed them around. Trowa, Heero, and Duo each took the one with their name on top and looked it over.

            "I don't get it," Duo said. "This tells me I'm working for Crystal Tokyo, a family business on Earth that needs my kind of 'technical expertise?'"

            Quatre smiled. "They run a cargo transport business which starts with their massive acreage of farmland and ends with the products of those farms up here as much as on Earth. Mr. Luna was really done a great job in building up the company, and his wife has just finished her second term as representative of Japan to the Earth Sphere Unified Nation Senate. They're a friendly and generous couple."

            Duo looked down at his paper and realized he'd made it into an airplane. He hurriedly unfolded it and asked, "So what am I supposed to do?"

            Heero spoke up. "You'll be in charge of maintaining their cargo shuttles is what it sounds like." 

            Duo blinked. "Oh."

            Heero turned to Quatre and said, "As for me, I am not stepping down as head of security for the Senate."

            Trowa looked at Quatre and said, "It's a good choice, but why go through all the trouble of getting us jobs on Earth? I already told you that I'd need a place only if the circus falls apart, and that's not happening any time soon."

            Quatre smiled sadly and said, "People are abandoning Earth and it's becoming the playground of the rich and famous. The working middle class and higher have started a systematic evacuation, leaving behind only those without enough money to relocate to space. I was hoping that having the five of us move back down to Earth would slow if not stop that migration."

            Silent meditation took over.


	4. Then There Was Eight, Nine,Ten I Give ...

Author's Note: DON'T KILL ME! I know this is a little late for getting this out, but there's been 'issues' for me to deal with here at home and at school. Not social issues or anything really interesting, just balancing school work and fun. Now that I've gained an hour, how about an hour of writing!

            P.S. SAN2, love the new name.

            "Ayeka!" Ayeka turned and smiled. Her best friend in the whole wide world, Serena Luna, was waving from the stairs. Ayeka gasped as Serena missed a step and fell forward. Out of seemingly nowhere, a tall young man jumped forward to catch her. Ayeka let out a relieved sigh and started towards the couple. 

            "Nice catch, Damien," Ayeka said. The young man in the tuxedo smiled. Then Ayeka looked at a blushing Serena and said, "You know you have to be careful going down these steps, Sere."

            Serena sighed. "Yes, I know, but I haven't seen you in so long!" Serena and Ayeka hugged and when they stepped back, Damien had vanished. "You know, he does that a lot."

            Ayeka grinned at her friend. "I was getting a definite soul vibe from you two just now, what's going on? Hmm?" Serena began to blush a bit again. Ayeka clapped her hands. "Ha! I knew it!"

            "Hey you two, care to share the good news?" Ayeka and Serena turned to see Odin, the eldest son of the _recently former_ President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation(ESUN, not ESPN which has something to do with TV I think). 

            Serena poked Ayeka in the ribs and Ayeka felt her cheeks grow slightly warm. It wasn't fair that every time she had to speak to Odin Serena was around to tease her. The usual result was Odin walking away as the two girls started an argument. This time Ayeka settled it early on by stepping back on Serena's foot. Serena made a small whimpering noise and stepped back.

            "Hi, Odin, I just found out Serena has a boyfriend," Ayeka said calmly.

            His blue eyes flickered over Ayeka's shoulder to look at the blushing Serena. "Well, I hope I have a chance to meet him so I can warn him about all those times you—OW!" He jumped back after Serena kicked him in the shin. Odin glared at her through his light brown hair. "I didn't mean it!"

            Serena crossed her arms and said, "Sure, but if Damien ever finds out—"

            Ayeka patted her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Odin won't tell, will you?" She added a little sharpness to her tone and gave Odin a look which meant he'd better agree.

            Odin nodded and rubbed his shin. "Won't tell a soul, you said his name is Damien?"

            Serena nodded. "If my parents find out they probably won't be too happy, he's already in college." Odin nodded grimly. "Will you please not tell anyone?" She looked up at him with her big, blue eyes.

            Odin blinked and looked away. "I can keep my mouth closed." Then he saw something and said, "I'll talk to you guys later." Ayeka looked at where he was going and noticed her father and Mr. Yuy talking about something. She looked around the rest of the room and sighed. This party was being hosted by Mr. And Mrs. Luna, Serena's parents, and all the most influential people were present. 

            It was a rather odd political scene, but if you lived on Earth you usually depended on the Luna's company for your livelihood. If you lived in space you believed, heart and soul, in whatever Relena Yuy said or did. Anyone with a connection to the Gundam pilots was treated like nobility wherever they went, and for the pilots themselves…it was caviar and champagne. 

            Ayeka looked around again and spotted a friendly face. She turned to Serena and said, "Come on, I see Washu!" The two girls rushed through the crowd until they had reached the circle that included Ayeka's 'older sister', Washu. When they got there, they also saw Mr. And Mrs. Yuy's second child, Clara; the three eldest of the Winner brood, Kiro, Moriro and Yora; and a stranger. The stranger was a teen girl about Serena and Ayeka's age, with black hair that went down to her thighs. 

            Washu smiled and said to the new girl, "This is my cousin, Ayeka, and Serena Luna. You'll learn quickly that they are inseparable." Washu looked at Ayeka and Serena and said, "This is Rei Hino, she's here with her father, a senator from L2."

            Serena gave the new girl a big hug and said, "It's nice to meet you!"

            Ayeka was a bit more reserved in her welcome, but no less warm. Then the party grew quiet and the young folk looked around trying to find the cause. Ayeka gasped and pointed. There was a gray spider-like creature on the ceiling. No, not a spider, it had a face and hands. Was that a man? No. Gaaaaah! "What is it?" Ayeka asked.

            "_Mars Flame Sniper!_" shouted a voice. The crowd turned just in time to see a young woman in a strange sailor fuku shoot an arrow of fire at the thing on the ceiling. The creature shrieked and then dissolved into ash. When people looked back at the railing of the steps where the girl had been, she was gone.

            That officially ended the evening. Instead of following the adults to the door to the driveway, the group of teenagers went to the garden. The sun was just barely set, and some light remained. After a moment or two they all went in with the exception of Serena and Ayeka. 

            They were going down a hedge-lined path when Ayeka said, "I feel rather sleepy…" Serena turned just in time to catch Ayeka as she dropped. Lowering her friend to the cold stones, Serena felt for a pulse.

            "She's fine, we just need to talk to you in private," said a stern voice. Serena turned and gasped. It was the mysterious young woman from before, but there were others with her. 

            Serena looked at the one who'd addressed her and said, "You killed that thing, how? Why? What did it do?"

            The young woman looked rather surprised. One or two shared nervous looks, but the one in red came forward and said, "It was a youma, like an orc or a minion. They're mindless machines programmed only to fulfill their mission. In this case, it was to kill someone at that party. Probably you."

            Serena's breath caught and she started to tremble. "Why would anyone want to kill me?"

            One of the others, wearing light blue and with short blue hair said, "Because you're destined to be our queen, you have the power of the Imperial Silver Crystal."

            Suddenly Serena felt dizzy. She shook her head and looked up at the girls with haunted eyes. "You mean the ginzuishou." They shared worried looks.

            One with extremely short light hair stepped forward and said, "You know who you are?"

            Serena took a step back. "I-I-I don't know! Why are you doing this? Wake Ayeka up right now!" She sat down hard on the path beside Ayeka as tears came down her cheeks. "I don't want to remember!"

            A cool hand rested itself on Serena's shoulder and she looked up. Eyes as red as Ayeka's looked at her from a face bordered with deep green hair. Of them all, this woman was older, more mature. She stepped back and Serena saw she held a staff. "Please, Selenity (her mother is Serenity, she is Selenity, to keep from confusing you) guide us and take up your powers. Fate saw fit to give you this life and these powers."

            Serena sniffed and said, "What powers?"

            A girl, little more than a child, came up to her and said, "You have the unifying leadership qualities of your mother, and the power of the Luna family name. That is what this life has granted you. In the past you were a queen of Crystal Tokyo, but your future was cut short. Now the dream of the silver millennium will be realized. You have the ginzuishou?"

            Serena shook her head. "I don't have it." The others sighed.

            "How will she transform?" asked one in green with brown hair. 

            "She'll just have to use her old pen like the rest of you," Pluto said. She handed Serena a short wand-like pen with a crescent on top. "Stand up and say, 'Moon Star Power!'" (Apologies to those who know the original transformation, it's been a while since I saw them transform.) 

            Serena shakily got to her feet and raised the pen above her head. "_Moon Star power!_" She was bathed in light and came out clad in a sailor outfit similar to her companions, but there was rainbow stripes on her skirt and she had a crescent moon where the others had jewels. Sailor Moon looked at herself and said, "Wow, Mom and Dad would never let me out of the house like this."

            The others she now could identify as Sailors Mars, Mercury, Uranus, Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and Venus. Sailor Saturn carried her glaive in one hand as she stepped up and looked Sailor Moon from head to toe. "Hmm, I guess I remember you like this."

            Pluto tapped her staff on the path and said, "We cannot wait long, Sailor Moon. With you our group is nearly complete, and next we must find your consort."

            Sailor Moon gulped. "My _consort_?"

            Sailor Mars rolled her eyes. "Tuxedo Mask! He's Earth's representative."

            "Oh. Where is he?"

            Pluto smiled. "Not so very far, eh, Damien?" Suddenly a young man fell out of the shrubs. Sailor Moon stared.

            "_Damien?_"

            "Uh," he said as he picked himself up off the floor. She threw herself at him and gave him a big hug.

            "I knew it was you!" she said. He smiled and hugged her back.

            The group moved off to talk, but Serena halted and said, "What about Ayeka? I can't leave her out here!"

            Saturn tossed up her glaive and it vanished. "I'll take her back in to her room. The others won't admit it, but we were pretty much split over which of you was Sailor Moon. Your friend has much the same energy signature as we do." She smiled and walked back down the path. When she got there, Ayeka was gone.


	5. This Is A Desperate Cry For Inspiration ...

Author's Note: This week has been hell, I have SAT's Saturday, and a test and a quiz tomorrow. However, IT'S HALLOWEEN! Who cares if I do my homework? …Okay I care. Still, we should take advantage of the night and I know I am! ::stuffs a snickers into mouth and keeps typing:: On with ficcie!

            Hilde sat on the edge of Ayeka's bed, brushing her daughter's hair. It had grown down to her knees, and the only good thing about its style was that it was its own. Hilde didn't know what possessed her daughter to cut it so strangely, short in front with two long pigtails coming out in back. "You know, you're getting older and boys will be interested…" Hilde started.

            Ayeka groaned. "Is this that talk? Mom, I'm sixteen, I don't need it again. As I said before, there isn't anyone like that for me." Hilde sighed. Her daughter seemed to be so sure she'd never have a boyfriend or get married. When asked about her hopes for a career, she usually dismissed it with some confusing remark about the meaning of life. It was very aggravating for her parents, who only wanted the best for her. Ayeka stood and put the brush away. Then she twirled around and held up her arms. "What do you think?"

            Hilde smiled. "You look wonderful, now let's go." They left Ayeka's bedroom and proceeded down the hall and a set of stairs to a large room. Several guests had already arrived, and Ayeka ran down into the arms of her friend, Serena. Hilde looked around and noticed there was a group of young people off to one side. They were all very good-looking, and looked rather confidant, but Hilde couldn't recognize them. When Serena and Ayeka joined them and a Hilde saw a few motions associated with an introduction, she felt better. Good, more friends.

            Then she turned her head and something flashed in the corner of her eye. She looked back at the group and narrowed her eyes. What was that? It couldn't be that they were…!

            Ayeka looked at the group. She smiled and nodded and hugged, while her heart warmed. There was something about these people, even though they were all such different personalities, that strummed a chord in her soul. It was like she knew them. The one named Setsuna, who was quite a bit older than the others, seemed particularly interesting. Ayeka smiled at her and said, "I feel like I've met you before, have you ever visited Colony X18999?"

            Setsuna gave one of her calm smiles and nodded. "I have, I taught there for a year." The others traded looks. They hadn't known that.

            Ayeka gasped. "Now I remember! You taught an art class I took one summer while visiting Aunt Misaki!"

            Something happened to Setsuna then. Her composed exterior seemed to fall and she leaned forward to give Ayeka a hug. Ayeka was somewhat surprised by this move, but reached up and hugged the woman back. Setsuna stepped back and looked at Ayeka with eyes ready to shed tears. "You were the girl with the unique dreams. I still carry a photograph of you holding that painting you did in my class." She took it out of her purse. Holding it out for Ayeka to see, she said, "I always felt like you had taken a look into my soul."

            It was a very disturbing painting for a child to make. The colors were all deep purples, greens, grays, and red. The background was a black landscape with a green light haloing it. It bleed into gray near the top, and the foreground was dominated by a phantom, purple figure that had bright red footprints trailing behind it like blood. On closer inspection, one could see the blood was actually tiny flowers.

            Ayeka blushed. "My parents told me to stop painting after I came home with that. I tried rainbows, but they never looked happy." Her eyes turned sad. Setsuna put the picture away and rested a sympathetic hand on Ayeka's shoulder. 

            "Try again, maybe now that you're older they will be able to understand." Ayeka nodded. Then Odin came over and introductions were administered again. The break in Setsuna's mask of composure had been repaired and she was once again herself. Ayeka remained quiet, however, for the rest of the party.

            The next day, Serena found her friend in an unused room with sheets over everything. They were clean, so they must have been placed there recently. Ayeka was sitting on a stool in front of an easel and staring at it. A smudge of black paint was on her nose. Her purple hair was tied up rather messily and she had paint all over her hands. Serena walked around and asked, "What are you doing? Oh!" Serena stared.

            It was very bright. The scene before her was so familiar it was eerie, but that couldn't be. What Ayeka had painted was a silhouette in front of a backdrop of white crystal. The figure reminded Serena of Ayeka—a bit. Ayeka looked at Serena nervously. "I don't know, I think I've lost my touch."

            Serena gaped. "Are you kidding? That looks great! Oh! Can I go show Mom and Dad?" She reached out.

            Ayeka smacked her hand away. "Don't touch! It's oil paint, so it'll take a few days to dry." She carefully picked it up by the frame in back and set it aside. She set a fresh canvas on the easel and studied it. Serena watched as Ayeka withdrew. It wasn't a physical act, but she could see Ayeka's mind suddenly become very distant. Serena felt an itch in the back of her head and decided she was thinking too hard. She walked away and left her friend to her painting.

            Serena was going down the hall when she tripped over something. "Ouch!" she said. She looked up into the red eyes of a very odd cat. There was a crescent moon on its forehead, quite unusual. "Hey there, my you're cute!" she said, and she scratched its head. The cat purred.

            "Oooo, that feels good," the cat said with a woman's voice.

            Serena snatched her hand back and stared. "You can talk!"

            The cat licked her paw and said, "Of course I can, what good is a royal adviser if she can't speak? I am Luna, at your lady's service." Serena eyed her new vassal uneasily.

            "Uh-huh, Okay, right. I think I'll be going to my room now." The cat loyally followed her new queen down the hall.

~ 2 weeks later~

            Heero Yuy eyed his son from the opposite side of the room. The boy was restless, and beginning to act a little more than preoccupied. He watched as Odin absently turned the pages of the book he was holding. The book was upside down. What this meant, Heero could only guess, and he hadn't been looking forward to this day. His son was now in love, the unrequited kind from the looks of it. Who could it be? What luckless chit had crossed his son's path and had an opportunity to do this?

            Odin set the book aside and got up slowly. Heero looked down quickly and acted uninterested until his son was in front of his desk. Heero looked up. Odin was staring intently at the letter opener and asked quietly, "Dad, how did Mom find out that you liked her?"

            Heero was thankful it was such an easy question. "Well, it was sort of a mutual thing. You see, women like your mother have this strange ability to sense what a guy isn't saying. As I didn't speak much—still don't according to most—this was priceless. It has also served her well as a politician." He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

            Odin sighed. "There's this girl I've liked for a while," so they were old acquaintances, elementary school? "—and she's never shown much interest in me in _that _way, but I can't figure out if I should tell her."

            Heero felt like sighing. Here was the hard question. "Well, there's no easy answer to that one. The bottom line is that if she's an old friend, she may see you as just that. Then again, she may share you feelings and be rather shy about it. All I can recommend is go ask your mother."

            Not getting the answer he wanted from his father, Odin decided he was really running out of people to ask. He left his father's office and went across the hall to his mother's home office. She looked up from the phone and smiled. She listened to whatever the person on the phone was saying, muttering positively once in a while, then hung up. "TO what may I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

            Odin sat in a chair and said, "Dad told me to come to you, because he couldn't help me." Relena waited patiently for him to word his request. "How did you know Dad loved you?"

            Relena grinned. "It's just one of those things I picked up from him. I read between the lines of his every action and expression, of which there weren't many."

            Odin leaned his head on the chair arm. "I can't do that, so I might as well ask you outright: How can I tell if a girl likes me?"

            Relena's eyes lit up. "You have a crush? Who? Do I know her? Does Lana?"

            He'd known this would happen if he came here. "I'm not about to release that information to the public."

            She smiled. "Forgive me, but as to your question, it depends on who it is. If you study people and watch her carefully when with others and then when she's with you, well, that should tell you." She paused. "Unless she has very good discipline, then it's an entirely different task. As I said, it depends on the individual."

            Odin left the room and went down the hall. His sister, Lana, poked her head out her door and smiled at him. "How'd it go?"

            He shook his head. "It was just like you said, they couldn't tell me." Lana sighed and let him into her room. Odin sat on the baby blue comforter and hung his head. "You'd think I'd have figure it all out by now, I'm in college for crying out loud!"

            Lana sat next to him and said, "I could always ask, you know, as a fellow gal."

            Odin shook his head. "No, I couldn't ask that."

            She shook her head. "Well, you better do something soon, or she'll end up whisked off her feet like Serena." Then she turned to work on her newest hobby.

            Ayeka looked around her adapted studio. The dreams had returned when she resumed painting, and now were coming out in paintings she couldn't remember doing. She picked one of the more recent ones up and frowned. They had all turned rather morbid. Then she looked at the others and slowly went through her work, picking up pieces here and there until she had a small stack. She set them out in front of herself and stared. Yes, arranged in just this way, they formed a larger painting, a group painting.

            She bit her lip and looked away. It was two distinct parts, one a group of people in silhouette, the other a distant figure which was definitely supposed to be her. The most disturbing party was the ghostly form of a hand over the group. In each of its pieces, it wasn't identifiable, but now it was very clear.

            Ayeka stacked them and shoved them under a sheet. She didn't like it. She painted without being aware of it, and the dreams were only getting worse, and in many her friends were being hurt. Maybe she should stop painting, it was all a big mistake to take it up again.

            Frustrated with her failure, Ayeka stomped out of the room and went to find Mrs. Luna. The new President was spending some time with her white cat, Artemis, when Ayeka came in. "What is it?" she asked.

            Ayeka folded her hands and asked, "Could you get the fifth study cleared out? I know it was a both to get everything covered up, but I'm finished. Where could I get rid of my paintings?"

            Serenity smiled. "I'll take care of it all, don't worry." Ayeka walked out, satisfied.

Author's Note2: Sorry this isn't any longer than usual, but time and inspiration have been lacking. I spent two day's worth of free time just to do this much, and the SAT's are in the morning! ::starts pulling out hair:: Sorry, folks.


	6. The Answers Will Only Lead to More Quest...

Author's Note: ::yawn:: Mm? Oh, yeah, I took the SAT's this morning, and as a result my brain became a useless gray blob whose sole purpose was to keep my head from imploding. However, after replaying a fav video game (FFIX) I was sufficiently restored.

Sailor Wo-taki….hell I can't remember the rest…::sweat drop:: Thank you for being such a constant supporter! To the rest of you, (who are equally fine folk, but my memory as stated before is mush,) I extend my everlasting gratitude for showing interest.

            Sailor Moon looked up and shrieked. She jumped out of the way just as the pavement where she'd been turned to dust. Landing several feet away, she braced herself to attack. The youma had been getting pushy lately and attacking often. The Senshi now protected Crystal Tokyo in shifts. Why the Youma didn't head into space was anyone's guess, but at the same time they were thankful. There was no way the Senshi could protect all the colonies, Tokyo itself was a drain.

            The youma shot a blast of black energy from its mouth and Sailor Moon raised her hands. She caught the blast and slowly began to slide back. With a grunt, she dug her heels in and shoved back. The attack went down into the ground, propelling Sailor Moon up. The youma had enough time to look up in surprise before her boot heel went through its face.

            As it faded into nothing, Sailor Mercury came running around the corner. She saw Serena wiping off her boot in the grass and yelled, "Sailor Moon!"

            She looked up. "What?!" she shouted back.

            Mercury pointed down the street she'd come from. "We got ambushed! Sailors Mars and Jupiter need help!" Sailor Moon got to her feet and raced after Sailor Mercury. Sure enough, quite the raucous was taking place down the street where a light had died. As they approached, Jupiter got thrown out of the shadows and into the light. 

            "Jupiter!" Moon yelled. Jupiter slowly got to her feet. Sailor Moon felt tears gather, but she held them back. Her friends were always getting hurt in these bouts, it wasn't fair. She dove into the fray and caught a youma by surprise as it held Mars up by her neck. It turned and she said, "You'll pay for this!"

            Ayeka woke up, her mouth clamped shut so hard it hurt. She sat bolt upright and started trembling. Putting a hand to her forehead, she wiped away the beads of sweat that had gathered there. "I can't ignore it any more," she muttered to the dark room. The dreams had gotten worse, taking on a new form. This last one had been screaming at her to do something, she knew they had to be true.

            Turning on a light she went to her laptop and typed up a note for anyone who came in to look for her while she was gone. Of course it was three AM, who would be up? Ayeka slipped on some clothes and grabbed a windbreaker. It was chilly out with spring breezes. She snuck out the window and climbed over the edge of the balcony. She hung from the railing by her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. "This is going to hurt," she said, and let go.

            She hit the ground and rolled. Getting to her feet she was amazed to find she hadn't broken anything. Throwing one last look up at the balcony next to hers where her parents slept, she turned and ran off into the night to find her dream.

            Behind her, standing like a sentry, was Sailor Pluto. The red eyes followed Ayeka anxiously before closing off again and becoming distant. She jumped down from the tower and followed Ayeka from the rooftops. Would the girl find her dreams tonight? Pluto paused on an apartment building and shook her head. Not tonight, the time wasn't right. This was just the first step. Her eyes glowed bright red, like a demon's, and she looked up at the moonless sky. This would be the first step in the resurrection.

            Sailor Mercury looked up at Sailor Moon from the ground. She hurt! The youma had left burns on her before she killed it. Now she couldn't get up to help her friend and queen. The three surviving youma were ganging up the last standing Senshi, two holding her as the third tortured her with punches and little blasts. The fourth had run off, and Mercury had no idea why.

            "Stop!" shrieked a voice. Mercury looked past Sailor Moon and saw a girl with dark hair and a turquoise windbreaker running towards them. 

            "No…" she moaned, unable to say anything louder. She could see Sailor Moon's head rise and her posture stiffen. 

            "No! Run!" Moon shouted, the youma punched her hard in the chest, making her slump forward.

            The girl hadn't turned, she came up to the youma and did something very unusual. For any normal person, the sight of such grisly beings would have caused a revision of one's dinner, but she just ran up and punched the thing in the head. It stumbled, but before it could recover, she was hitting it again with an expert combination of blows and kicks. Finally, there was a dull cracking noise and the youma slumped to the ground to fade away. It's neck had snapped.

            She turned to face the other two, but they had dropped Sailor Moon and leapt up high above the light so she couldn't see them.

            "Above you!" Mars managed to say from the base of the dead street light. Mercury let out a breath of relief, her friend was alive.

            The girl looked up and braced herself. She jumped to the side and did a roundhouse kick. The two youma fell right into it, and ended up on the ground. Without giving them a chance to fight back, the stranger grabbed a knife from seemingly nowhere and cut the youmas' heads off. Their bodies faded into shadow and she ran to Sailor Moon's side. Mercury found she could move and raised herself to her hands and knees.

            "Serena!" the stranger whimpered, cradling Sailor Moon in her arms. Mercury looked at Mars and they shared a nervous look. Who was this person? Was she dangerous? How did she know Serena was Sailor Moon? Then Jupiter limped over and looked down at the newcomer.

            "Ayeka?" she said, her voice a whisper of disbelief. The girl looked up and Mercury could now recognize the dark hair as purple and the tearing eyes as red. Serena's good friend knew, had Serena told her? Ayeka looked back down at her friend and stroked her cheek. Slowly, Sailor Moon opened her eyes.

            "Wha—? Ayeka?" she said. Ayeka smiled and wiped her tears off her cheeks. Serena sat up and looked around. "Where are the youma? What are you doing here? Wait—how do you know who I am?"

            Ayeka looked at her lap. "I have these dreams, usually dark and apocalyptic ones. They stopped when I was a girl when I stopped painting them, but now they won't go away and they've turned…" She took a shaky breath. "Now I see you guys, fighting, and getting hurt, but tonight I couldn't take it anymore. So I got out of bed and came to help."

            Jupiter put her hands on her hips. "That doesn't make what you did any less risky. Leave the fighting to us, normal people can't handle it." 

            Ayeka got to her feet and glared at the Senshi. "Oh really? Are you aware that the last two wars were ended by normal people? My father is as normal as they come! Do _not_ tell me that normal people can't handle it because _I_ can.!"

            Up above, Sailor Pluto watched. Well, it had almost happened. What other incentive was needed? She heard a scratching noise and looked below and to her left. More youma, so that's what the lone one was running to! She braced herself and jumped down to defend her fellow Senshi and queen.

            Soon, she promised herself as she blew away the first youma, soon the time would come.

~ A month or so later~

            Ayeka sipped the punch and winced. There was way too much lime in this! She set the cup aside and looked around. Serenity Luna had insisted on throwing her good friend Hilde a small birthday bash. That meant live music, about two-hundred guests, and formal dress. Duo had thought it was a great joke when they had gotten their invitation. Ayeka was just happy to be back in Crystal Tokyo. After the incident with the Senshi downtown, she had been sent to spend time with her Aunt Misaki and young cousin Sasami. She loved them, but she'd missed her friends.

            Now she couldn't find someone else. Serena noticed Ayeka's searching eyes and asked quietly, "Anyone in particular you're looking for? Say, someone whose name starts with an 'O'—"

            Ayeka glared at Serena. "Enough! I told you, I'm going to die young and a virgin." Serena just shook her head and listened in on the conversation Ami and Rei were having with Michiru. Then someone tapped Ayeka's shoulder and she turned. 

            Right into someone. Ayeka stepped back hastily and blushed. Odin also turned a little red. "Hi, long time no see," she said, looking up into very blue eyes.

            Odin grinned. "Same here, how have you been? I heard you went to the colony for a while."

            Ayeka nodded. "To see my aunt and Sasami, Sasami is growing up into a fantastic cook! You'd never believe what that girl can do!"

            Odin nodded, then brushed the comment aside and asked, "Do you know where Ami is?" Ayeka felt a little hurt that he wasn't interested, but didn't let it bother her.

            She turned and pointed. "She's over there talking to Serena." Odin thanked her and went over. Ayeka shrugged and went off to find her parents.

            She found them in a deep conversation with some strangers and turned right around. Eventually she made her way back to Serena and her group and noticed Odin and Ami were missing. "Where'd Ami go?" she asked.

            Rei looked around. "Well, Odin said something and they wandered off, maybe to dance." Hotaru and Lana came over and took Ayeka's hands.

            "Uhhh," Ayeka said as they started to drag her away. She removed herself from their grip and asked, "What's up?"

            Hotaru grinned and said, "Your mother told us to come find you and bring you to her, even if we had to drag you."

            "If you'd asked first you wouldn't have to drag me," Ayeka pointed out.

            Lana chuckled and said, "We know, but we just wanted an excuse to drag you through the crowd." Ayeka sighed and shook her head. As she started to follow, Ami returned.

            Ayeka heard the conversation faintly as she dodged guests to get to her mother. First was Serena. "Ami! Where'd you go?"

            Then Ami said uneasily, "Odin just asked me out… I mean, I've known him for years, but…" Ayeka lost the rest of it. She felt her hand clench into fists and she ordered herself to relax. You don't mind, it's none of your business, just keep walking. Remember, your mother has something undoubtedly important to say.

            She approached the group of chatting adults and said, "Mom?" Hilde turned and smiled. Ayeka noticed her mother's necklace as the light reflected off of it. She'd never seen it before, it was obviously old, but there was something about the droplet pattern that made her think of the diamonds as tears. 

            Hilde smiled and said, "Perfect timing! Come with me, it's time for the announcement!" Ayeka silently wondered what announcement it could possibly be, but obediently followed her mother as she tried to get Odin out of her head. Hilde stepped onto the platform where the orchestra sat and picked up the microphone. "May I have your attention?"

            The din of the party slowly faded to a manageable level and then silence. Hilde smiled brilliantly. "Thank-you all for coming, this means a lot to me, but today I will follow the tradition set by my great to the nth power grandmother." She motioned for Ayeka to join her and stepped behind her. "Today, the Terra Jewels are yours," Hilde said, and Ayeka felt the necklace of diamonds settle on her chest.

            They were cold, surprisingly so since her mother had been wearing them all evening. Then Ayeka looked up and noticed the guests were all applauding her. She looked out and recognized many of the faces present, then she saw Setsuna in the back. A sharp pain in her chest made Ayeka gasp. She managed to get down without showing any pain, but then she went to a dark hallway with all haste.

            She ran down until she felt no one could see her and feel to her knees, gasping for air. What was wrong with her? Ayeka felt her stomach twist and her dinner threatened to come up. She stretched out on the cold floor and took deep breaths. Eventually the pain and nausea faded and Ayeka got to her feet. "How are you feeling, Sailor Terra?" asked a feminine voice. Ayeka turned toward the party and saw her mother and Setsuna standing just beyond the distant room's light. She started towards them, then blacked out.

            Odin looked around and did his best not to sulk. Ami had said no, sending his hopes down the drain. What now? As far as he could see it, she was the only friend he had down here on Earth. His old pals lived in the colonies, that is, accept one… He looked around and noticed Ayeka was gone. Where'd she go? She'd looked rather shocked up there as her mother gave her that necklace, it had been very nice. Now he couldn't find Ayeka or her mother. He did see Serena effusively apologizing to someone who was brushing beads of punch from their tux. Odin walked over and asked, "Serena, where did Ayeka disappear off to? You'd think she would stick around."

            Serena stood on her tiptoes and looked around. "I guess you're right—oh there she is!" She pointed and Odin saw Ayeka emerge from a dark hallway. 

            He smiled. "Thanks, Serena," he said, and he headed over.

            Ayeka turned and smiled weakly as he approached. "Hi, Odin, what's changed in the past hour?"

            Odin felt a pang of guilt for some reason as Ayeka smiled up at him. He shrugged. "Oh, I just got rejected. How about you?"

            She waved a hand. "Oh, I just got some necklace or other." They stood in awkward silence a moment, watching the dancers on the dance floor. Then Odin got an idea.

            He held out a hand and Ayeka stared up at him. "Would you like to dance?" he asked. She blinked and put her hand in his. As that song ended, another began. Odin led Ayeka out onto the floor and rested one hand on her waist and the other held hers. They slowly drifted over the marble as they'd been taught by Relena and Heero. Duo was a hopeless cause with dancing, so Hilde never had. 

            Ayeka smiled as memories overcame her and she asked, "Do you remember when your mother first tried to teach us how to dance?"

            Odin chuckled. "Yeah, she dragged Dad in and had us mimic their steps. Then you tripped over the rug and we both fell into a crying pile on the floor. I'd forgotten that, how old were we? Four? Five?"

            Ayeka smiled. "That sounds about right, and we were clumsy, too. I must admit you've improved your ballroom dancing skills." They continued on in silence, just letting themselves get immersed in the music and familiar motions. When the music faded, it was like waking up. Ayeka and Odin stopped somewhat suddenly and blinked. Ayeka stepped back and said, "Wow, I think I zoned out there."

            Odin nodded. "I know what you mean, how about some punch?" They walked off the floor, but Ayeka grabbed his arm and steered him away form the punch bowl.

            "I'm warning you that it tastes horrible, so lets not." The real reason was Relena was over there, and Ayeka knew Relena would try and interpret Ayeka and Odin's friendship as more than it was just like Ayeka's mother.

            Her mother. Ayeka felt the cold necklace grow heavier at the thought. She'd been deliberately left in the dark, led to believe she was losing her mind with these dreams. Suddenly she wished she hadn't gotten rid of all her paintings.

            "Ayeka! How nice to see you again!" Ayeka tried not to let her disappointment show as she turned to face Relena. Relena was smiling warmly and Ayeka smiled back.

            "It's been a while, Mrs. Yuy," she said. 

            Odin looked at his mother and wondered what was up. "Is there something important you want to tell us?" he asked. 

            Relena looked at him in surprise. "Actually, I just wished to talk to Ayeka about something. If you would excuse us to some girl talk?" Odin rolled his eyes and walked away. Relena put an arm around Ayeka's shoulders and led her to the side and started talking in hushed tones.

            Later that night, Ayeka would wonder what she'd ever done to deserve this role in life, but she decided it was all from her parents. The next morning, Serena went to Ayeka's room to ask what they were planning to do for their first day together in a month, when she saw Odin coming out with a frown on his face. At first she panicked, then reason set in and she remembered that Ayeka had goals in life. Odin saw her and came over. "Do you know where Ayeka went? Her room is empty."

            Serena turned. "I guess she could've gone outside…"

            Odin shook his head. "No I mean _empty_. All of her stuff is gone." Serena ran into the room and looked around. It was true. 

            Left with many questions, Serena headed down the hall and said over her shoulder, "Let's go ask my mother." They found the president in her home office, as usual, but not on the phone. Serenity looked up and smiled.

            "Serena! Odin! Can I help you with something?"

            Serena nodded. "Yes, where's Ayeka?"

            Serenity looked down at her desk and stood. She came around the desk and embraced her daughter, much to Serena and Odin's surprise. "My dear, you probably aren't going to see Ayeka anymore. Please understand, she's the only person who can do what we've asked of her, and her chances for survival are slim, but she accepted it."

            Odin stared. Serena backed away until she bumped into a chair. Her eyes were wide with horror. "You're joking, right? Oh, God, what are you talking about? No, she couldn't, no."

            Serenity turned and returned to her seat behind her desk. "I'm sorry, but there was really no choice. Hilde, Setsuna, and Relena broke the news last night and she opted to leave right away." She seemed to consider a moment, then she said, "There is a chance that she will return, but I don't want to get your hopes up."

            Serena sagged with relief. "Still, there's a chance…" she said quietly. Odin opened the door and let Serena leave first. He closed it behind him and started back down the hall. He went straight into Ayeka's old room and walked into the closet. When they had first come to Crystal Tokyo and gotten permanent rooms from the Luna family, he and Ayeka had played clubhouse in their closets. There was plenty of room to assemble the 'club members' which were really stuffed animals, and to set up stores of crackers and flashlights. 

            He took his pocket light out and closed the door. The light was weak, but that was what he wanted. It was easier to imagine Ayeka sitting beside him as they giggled conspiratorially and waited for someone to walk by their hiding place searching for them. It still smelled like her, that somewhat spicy scent.

            "_While you cannot see me, I can see you. Don't worry, Odin, I am alive for now, and plan to be for some time. Remember me in your dreams…old…friend…_" Odin bent his head down as his light went out and he shed silent tears. She was special, Ayeka was his one constant in life, through all of the moves his family had made, and all of the schools. Ayeka, I never wanted to admit it, he thought as he pulled something out from seemingly nowhere. It was a knife, exactly like the one she'd used to kill the youma. Ayeka, my once and future wife.

Author's Note2: Wow, there goes one Saturday. Well, I hope this satisfies those appetites for the next week. See ya!


	7. The Last Kiss?

Author's Note: You may thank my teachers for this surprise chapter, I have practically no homework! ::dances around the room:: My dog is with me too, I love you, Lola! ::beagle sweatdrops:: Okay, never mind. Anyhoo, read on!

            Ayeka sat in the cockpit, waiting. Slowly, the lights came on and the machine came to life. Unlike a Gundam, this cockpit was open, meant to trace a person's moves with the help of a suit filled with special sensors. It was the Preventers' latest weapon, and Ayeka was the key. She needed no powerful reactor or fuel for her suit, the whole thing, every last wire, had been made with materials mined from asteroids. This was key, because now whenever Ayeka stepped into it, the machine responded to her presence and 'woke up.'

            She got to her feet and walked out to the test sight. In a month she should be ready, but Setsuna wanted her done sooner. The Senshi of time had been very insistent that the process be accelerated and such, but there'd been setbacks as with any organization. "Ready?" asked a voice over Ayeka's comm. 

            Ayeka crouched and stared at the open desert. "Ready." A large door opened in the ground, releasing small, pilot less machines that shot harmless bullets. Ayeka ran into them and started hacking away. 

            Meanwhile, indoors Setsuna and Relena were watching. "If Heero knew we'd revived the Gundams, even for such a cause, he'd be furious," Relena said. Setsuna nodded.

            "But it is for a good cause. Earth has been hanging by a thread because people don't see the point of blue skies and open spaces, now we need to recreate the appeal of living on solid ground," Setsuna said as she watched Ayeka finish the exercise and go on to the next test. The fighting was just to hide the true purpose of this whole thing, this was the part that mattered. The two women watched closely as Ayeka stepped several hundred feet from a pile of rocks, parts of an asteroid. Small pebbles and dust flew towards her from the mound, then rocks, then the large boulders.

            Finally they were all at Ayeka's feet. Setsuna smiled. "She did it all in one try. She's come a long way in three months. How about we skip the next tests, she's ready, and let her take a brief vacation before going to space?"

            Wufei Chang eyed the screen showing the tests and muttered, "Sure."

            The suitcase felt so light when it was empty. Ayeka tossed it into the back of the closet and fell onto the bed. She was back, back in Crystal Tokyo. Closing her eyes, she searched for that weak connection she's discovered between her and Odin. It had been rather surprising when he first showed up in her dreams and tried saving her from whatever cruel fate was present. Now she found the connection was as strong as a steel beam, she could even follow where he was going!

            Excited, she went out into the hall and crept up behind the luckless young male. She reached forward and covered his eyes. "Guess who!" she said. Odin stiffened when she touched him and he swung around and picked her up. Ayeka felt her feet leave the floor and she gasped. Odin looked into her eyes and set her down. "Od—" he cut her off with a very firm, and passionate kiss. 

            "AYKEA!?!" screamed a voice down the hall. Ayeka and Odin jumped apart and Ayeka turned to get almost knocked to the floor with the force of Serena's enthusiast welcome. 

            "How've you been, Sere?" Ayeka asked.

            Serena looked at her friend with tears in her eyes. "When she said you might never come back I—" Ayeka put a finger on Serena's lips. 

            "Shh, I haven't completed my mission, this is just a vacation until everything is set for me to go to space." Ayeka threw her arms around her best friend and said quietly, "Please tell me you will let me go?"

            Serena looked fairly crushed. "I guess I can…"

            Ayeka grinned and said, "Good! Now, I want to visit the gardens." Odin and Serena walked with Ayeka through the many paths and plants of the palace gardens. The Luna family could've left their beautiful home for the presidential mansion, but had twisted the necessary arms to stay. Ayeka was glad they had, for as Serenity Luna began her third term as President of the ESUN, the pressure was on for the family to relocate. While Serena and Odin were unaware, Ayeka knew that the Luna family was in danger of attack because their home was so open. Even when Heero 'insisted' on tightening security the President had refused. As the purple-hared soldier walked around in the beauty of life at full bloom, she felt a renewed sense of purpose.

            Serena left Odin and Ayeka alone to go tend to whatever Ayeka's arrival had interrupted. The couple walked on in silence for a while, then Odin said, "Whenever your name comes up in a conversation with my parents they get angry, as if I was asking if they ever burped." He stopped and turned to face her. "Why?"

            Ayeka looked around. She stepped closer and said, "I can't tell you directly, but…" Suddenly she yanked Odin off the path and into some bushes. She straddled his waist and whispered in his ear, "My code name is Terra, and the mission I'm being trained for is 'Rebirth' to restore the planet." Odin stared up at the blue sky, thinking this over. 

            He took a breath to ask a question, but Ayeka had shifted and he had to restrain himself from letting out a groan. She smiled down at her and said, "Life is full of good things, but sometimes they require sacrifices." Then she disappeared. Just vanished. Odin sat up and looked around.

            "Ayeka?" he said, not too loud in case someone awkward came and found him hidden in the bushes. How had she done that? What in the world was she talking about? It was too many questions, and asking his parents was out of the question. Who could he ask? Odin smiled. Rei, Ami, Minako and Makoto were still around.

            Ami looked at the riddle and shrugged. Passing it back to Odin she said, "I don't know, but the 'rebirth' part would intrigue Hotaru." Rei looked at the paper Odin had recorded Ayeka's words on and frowned. 

            "Maybe the Outers will know what it means. (Yes, Serena caved to Odin after he caught her in the kitchen trying to become Princess Selenity. That's a whole different bag of chips from what's going on.) They regained more memories of their past lives than us, but I don't understand why they'd call her Terra. Isn't that some obscure word for Earth? And what made you think to come to us?"

            Odin folded the paper and put it in his pocket. "Well most adults are out of the question because they're in on whatever is going on, especially that green-hared woman…Setsuna I think?"

            The Senshi straightened. "So Sailor Pluto is involved?" Serena said. The Senshi all traded looks. "Maybe we should talk to her."

            "That would be a bad idea," said a voice from the door to Serena's room. They all turned to see Michiru, Hotaru and Haruka standing in the doorway. Haruka smiled. "How convenient for you all to be in one place, this'll make our job much easier." The three came in and closed and locked the door. Michiru went to the balcony doors and stood in front of them. Hotaru sat on the bed with the others and smiled as innocently as any child.

            Serena frowned. "What's going on, Uranus?"

            Haruka crossed her arms. "Setsuna told us you might interfere with her plans." She checked her watch. "We can let you out in a few hours."

            Odin got a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach. Unlike normal anxiousness, this dropping continued to fall. It spiraled down and he could feel his mind start to go with it. "Odin?" asked a voice from down a distant tunnel. He forced his eyes open and saw the ceiling. Serena's concerned face hovered over his. "Are you Okay? You look pale."

            He tried to move his arms, but couldn't. Suddenly he felt hot pains all over his body, but they weren't from him… "Ayeka…" he muttered. Serena looked horrified.

            "What about Ayeka?" she asked.

            Odin blinked and squinted. "Something's wrong, the connection is too strong for the distance she's stretching it—" 

            _ODIN!_ Screamed a silent voice in his head. He knew it was Ayeka. He tried to send an answering thought down the wire, but it was just bounced back by the piercing wale. She screamed one last time and then Odin felt the connection snap.

            All at once he was back in the real world. He looked around and saw Ami and Makoto were the only ones left. "Wh—"

            "Awake at last?" Ami said. She came over and helped him sit up. Odin rubbed his head and looked around. Interpreting his look correctly, Ami said, "There was a youma outbreak they had to tend to, can you stand?" He did.

            Makoto crossed her arms. "So what was all that about?"

            Odin swallowed and said, "There used to be a planet called Terra…"


	8. The Best Miracle Grow Ad Ever

Author's Note: GAH!!!! ::pauses to pant as she stands over the remains of her computer:: AOL is being an ass and not working. E-mailing me won't do any good, because thanks to my oh-so-perfect online service I can see that I have thirty-eight new mails, but CAN'T GET TO THEM! ::takes a deep breath:: I probably shouldn't have taken the anger out on my PC, but it was the closest I could get to actually hitting the programming who created AOL 8. #@$%&! 0. I am calm, I am a leaf, I am a stone, I am…SO PO'ED!

            Serenity sat in her office and listened to Setsuna's report. Once the Senshi was finished, the President asked, "Setsuna, what of Sailor Terra?"

            Setsuna stood and bowed. "I'm afraid I can't tell you yet. There is a chance that she may yet have survived, but with the speed and forces involved I'd say she's probably dead."

            Serenity shook her head. "I meant Sailor Terra, not Ayeka."

            The green-hared woman was silent for a moment, then turned towards the door. She said over her shoulder, "The line ends with Ayeka, and Terra will be without a representative once Hilde dies." She turned to look at Serenity as she opened the door and gave a bit of a half smile. "Not that it will be any time soon, with her planet restored Hilde should live for a good thousand years."

            The President sat back and closed her eyes, her silver hair brushing the floor. What they'd asked of Ayeka had been too much. Hilde had said her daughter showed no signs of wishing to pursue a future, and Ayeka had accepted, but it still felt wrong. Serenity got out of her chair and walked to the windows. Below in the garden, Serena and her close friends, the other Senshi, were enjoying a small picnic lunch. Serenity rested a hand on her chest and felt the power of the moon pulse inside. She turned her gaze to the blue sky and reached out with her mind.

            Ayeka moaned and tried to move, but she was held fast. She'd called the asteroids of the asteroid belt, the remains of her ancestor's planet, to reunite and her Gundam had been instantly incorporated into the new planet. Her awareness had been stretched throughout the planet, but now it had returned to her body. With the Gundam's end, Ayeka had been without protection. She'd expected what she'd been told to expect; an instantaneous death ash she was crushed by tons of rock. Instead she was trapped in a kind of cavern in the center of the planet. The temperature had risen quickly, but a strange shield seemed to keep her safe. 

            It wasn't part of her, it was independent, sent by someone else. Once again, Ayeka tried to command the rock to let her go, but now that the planet was whole it had a greater will than she could command. Her powers were obviously not connected to the ground. Maybe air, because she could breath just fine. The rock had sealed her entire lower body and her arms up to the elbow. Her torso and head were free, but she wanted _out_. 

            Let me out! She tried to shout, but no sound came out. Ayeka tried speaking normally and found no matter how hard she tried, not a peep came out. She couldn't shout, couldn't get free, and would only grow weaker without air and food. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she didn't let them out. Slowly she drifted off to sleep, and let a single tear fall.

            It froze halfway down her cheek.

~ 10 years later~

(To help you out some, by now Serena a.k.a Selenity is 27, Odin is 30, Lana and Hotaru are 23.)

            Selenity, the newly elected Queen of the Moon, stepped off the shuttle and took a deep breath. The air on Terra was clean, fresh, and beautiful. No one would have guessed it was younger than Selenity herself. Terra had formed right under the noses of scientists and miners, and its abrupt bloom into a planet capable of supporting human life had alarmed people. Serenity had called for a holiday and had sent missions to the new planet. Hilde, Duo, Relena, and Heero were the first administrators of Terra. Then a new proposal had worked it way to Serenity's desk, calling for three monarchs and a President. The moon, Earth, and Terra each received an elected ruler and the colonies elected a President. It had taken a little work, but Hilde and Duo were secured on Terra, Selenity on the moon, and Damien on the Earth. Since Selenity and Damien were engaged, those two nations were looking forward to a union. 

            Queen Hilde came forward to welcome her guests. She smiled. "Welcome, Selenity, I hope you enjoyed your trip?"

            Selenity nodded. "I did, and Terra looks gorgeous from above." Terra was young, but had already acquired icy poles and forests. It was as if millions of years of development were crushed into minutes. A gorgeous palace made by a living tree towered over the slightly smaller trees along the road from the space port. The trees towered above the travelers, and Selenity's court were awed. Makoto wanted to jump out and meet the trees that appeared so old and wise, but Rei kept a firm hand on the Senshi's arm. 

            The gate was plants, and it opened as they came. The whole planet was majestic forest, desert, or tundra. Limited numbers of people had been allowed to settle on Terra, but even those pressing for admittance were few because people were still adjusting to the mysterious planet's existence. Hilde led Selenity to her rooms, and left her to get settled in. 

            Ami came in through a connecting door and the two women sat down to talk. "It's truly beautiful, Ayeka would have been glad to give us this," Ami said. Selenity nodded, sniffing. It had taken her this long to visit Terra because somewhere in the bowels of the planet was Ayeka's final resting place. Ayeka had died to create this planet, and Selenity still found it hard to act kind to Hilde. No one had ever come up with a satisfactory reason for why Ayeka had to be the one to do it and not her mother. Not that Hilde was a bad person, but she had lived her life and Ayeka hardly got a chance.

            The others came in; Rei, Makoto, Minako, Michiru, Haruka, Hotaru and Setsuna. The Senshi of Time had arranged the trip, and since hearing from her was a rare thing, the other Senshi had decided to go along with it. Now Selenity looked at Setsuna and asked, "Why did you want us to come here?"

            Setsuna smiled sadly, she always did nowadays, and said, "This planet is young and strong, but much of it has yet to be beheld by human eyes. Somewhere on this planet lies a nest of dark energy. If it should grow unchecked, it will consume Terra and move on to destroy humanity. I have seen this future, and it is better for us to find it before it becomes a problem."

            Selenity nodded and got to her feet. "As soon as I can, I'll ask Queen Hilde about a camping excursion…"

            Something pulsed. Serenity Luna, former President of the former Earth Sphere Unified Nation, sat up in bed beside her husband and stared out her window. Years ago she had sent her power and mind out into space to try and find any sign of Sailor Terra. She had noticed a weak spark of life in Terra's core, and marked it with a part of her essence. Now something had woken that feint light into gradually growing blaze. The planet had stopped draining Sailor Terra of her power to revive itself at long last. Now her power would recover and she could be reborn. 

            Selenity moaned and brushed an unidentified bug off her sleeve. She hated bugs! They-they _crawled!_ The hover craft stopped and Rei ran back from the front of the progress and Selenity leaned down to hear what she had to say. "Selenity, we found something interesting up ahead I think you should see." The queen got down and ran to catch up with the other Senshi who had gone ahead.

            They stumbled forward until the undergrowth ended and they entered a grove. Direct sunlight, the first Selenity had seen in weeks, came down to shine on an eroded monument. Its existence puzzled her, because this land was new, and this thing had no time to weather like that.

            Sailors Jupiter and Venus were waiting with Hotaru, Michiru, Ami, Haruka, and Setsuna. As the only two transformed, Jupiter and Venus approached the gray stone wearily and reached out to brush away lichen and moss. They puzzled over it a bit, then came back to the group. "Well?"

            Jupiter shrugged. "It looks like it was carved out of stone a while ago, centuries even."

            Ami leaned forward. "What does it say?"

            Venus pushed some hair out of her face. "Well, it has a lot of stuff I couldn't understand, too eroded, but the part I can read says something about darkness reborn." The other Senshi now stepped up and took a look for themselves, Ami examining every aspect for clues before whipping out her little super computer. 

            "Hmm," Ami said. The others fell silent to hear what she had to say. Putting her computer away, she said, "I asked my computer to search for anything it could find that relates to this, and it came up with a picture of the stone before it got so…old." She looked at the monolith and said, "It's from Terra's original civilization. The part you can't read is in their ancient alphabet, and the rest is in a language they developed to be universal. It says, 'From birth to rebirth, from flame to fire, Lady Terra protect us and unite us against the darkness reborn.'"

            Selenity turned to Setsuna. "Does that ring any bells?" Then she stopped and eyed Setsuna closely. The woman was crying! Not quiet tears, but loud, gasping sobs. Michiru and Haruka helped Setsuna to a seat on a nearby stone. Selenity knelt on the ground in her white garments and took the Senshi's hand. "What's wrong, Setsuna?"

            Setsuna sniffled and wiped her nose with a tissue. "Lady Terra, Sailor Terra, Ayeka," she said. The others felt confused.

            Ami came over and also knelt. "Sailor Terra? There is a Sailor Terra?"

            Setsuna nodded. "A-Ayeka w-was the last of-of the royal line, and Hilde had no more power. Ayeka was stronger than Hilde by far, and we thought she could renew Terra. Ayeka accepted, and trained in a special MS until we sent her out to the asteroid belt and—she died! The power to transform was beyond her, she needed a planet to draw power from to do that, but commanding the remains of the planet to reunite was easy for her. For a while we hoped she'd survived, but…" She blew her nose. "Now Sailor Terra is gone for good, and cannot be reborn because she is a part of Terra."

            Selenity sat back on her heels and let the others comfort Setsuna as she thought. No, that couldn't be right. When Makoto had almost died a few years back, she had felt her soul scream in protest to losing a Senshi. Sailor Terra was not destroyed, her soul remained, but it had been ten years… Could it be Ayeka was alive?

            They moved on, and it was after another week of searching, that they sensed the darkness getting stronger. The Senshi found themselves facing a wasteland.

            Washu typed away happily. She was so glad she'd discovered these parallel universes, it made finding piece and quiet so much easier. That and she didn't have to worry about not having enough storage space for her stuff. A little bell rang and she looked up. "Hello?"

            A picture came up on a screen, it was Serenity, Selenity's mother. Washu smiled. "How are you Washu?"

            Washu pointed behind her at a large, dark shape. "Still working on my time machine, it would go a lot faster if Setsuna just let me study that rod of hers." She faced the screen fully and asked, "What is so important that you had to call little ol' me?"

            Serenity's face grew grim. "I sensed a growing life force in Terra."

            Washu waved a hand. "I know all about that, that stupid klutz dares to call himself a man of science—"

            "Not Kane, I'm talking about _in_ the planet." Washu frowned and turned to her laptop.

            "Inside? Hmm, yes! There is something, and it's growing!" She seemed to forget about her caller and started madly typing away. "Will you look at that! It seems my little coz is alive! I can't wait to tell everybody—"

            "Wait, Washu," Serenity said. Washu froze and looked over. Serenity held up and hand and said, "We don't know what exactly has happened, and it may not be the Ayeka we remember, but someone else. She's been trapped in there for a decade, how would you be?" She sighed and Washu could see the lines in her face. "I still can't believe Sailor Terra is that powerful, but I guess she's been fueling the planet's growth all this time. Do you think we could get a discreet message out to my daughter?"

            Washu grinned. "Do you know who you're walking to? I'll get her that message and pay a visit all by lunch time." The genius said good-bye and started on her new project.

            Odin Yuy, now the tops financial officer to the Queen of Terra, sat on the floor of his bedroom and took deep breaths. He concentrated on finding that weak link between his heart and that of his soulmate. It had only returned to him when he'd set foot on Terra all those years ago to visit his parents. He hadn't been able to leave for very long because the distance from Terra seemed to great for the connection to reach and it left him feeling as dead as when Ayeka had died. Now he stayed on Terra, and had managed to get part of his heart back, but the rest was long gone. He knew he would never marry, he'd spend his life pining away for a body trapped below. 

            He could tell Ayeka was still here because he still shared her dreams when he slept. It had started when she left to train, and continued to that very day. As Odin closed his eyes and searched for that thread, he found a rope made with silver wire in its place. The sense of Ayeka's presence was so strong he had to open his eyes and look around to make sure she wasn't in the room with him. Feeling giddy, he reached out with his mind and said, _Ayeka?_

            _…Odin?_ He nearly jumped into orbit. 

            _Ayeka? Ayeka, it's really you! You're alive and awake!_

            There was a sound like mental laughter. _Yes, Dear Heart, I am alive. Terra is sustaining itself pretty well now without needing me to regulate and boost it. It is rather dark down here, but I feel better now that I know you're still here. Will you wait for me?_

            Odin knew he was crying, but he didn't feel ashamed in the least. _Of course I'll wait. Oh, Ayeka, once you return, will you marry me?_

            _Hmm, maybe. I did say I want to died a virgin…_

            _Ayeka!_

            I was only joking! This has not been the most comfortable place to sleep in, you know. Do you have any idea how I'll be getting out?

            Odin opened his eyes and stared at the wall. No, he had no clue how to get Ayeka out of the planet. _I'll ask Washu, maybe she can think of something. My dad would probably tell me to just blow up the planet if I wanted to get at you that badly._

            _Ah well, I've waited ten years, I guess I can take another nap…_

Author's Note: Well, if I ever manage to post this, thank you to Sailor Watoki Tsuna, Animegirl74, Myst Lady ML-chan, DarknessDreamer HeartOfLight. (Please tell me I spelled those right!)


	9. The Guardian

Author's Note: Several things are working against me today. One is that because the faculty thought students would prefer coming in at lunch time to leaving at lunch time, school is delayed and I can't seem to find a ride to get there. ::sighs:: Then there's that damned AOL business, and explorer is slow as all get out, so if this ever gets posted it's purely by the grace of God, Allah, (insert deity of worship here) or me.

            Washu stepped out of her portal and looked around. A group of extremely surprised people were staring at her. She smiled and waved. "Hi!" Then she calmly walked down the line to Selenity's vehicle. Selenity was staring. Washu put her hands on her hips and said, "Is this the warm welcome you give all your friends?"

            Selenity seemed to break whatever spell had been holding her and got out of her seat to give the little genius a hug. "What are you doing here, Washu? I thought no one was out here."

            The pink-hared imp winked. "You know I have my methods, but what's more important is the message I have from your mother."

            Selenity blinked. "My mother? What is it?"

            Washu looked around and took Selenity off to the side where prying ears couldn't reach. "This might be hard to understand, but wait before you tell the other Senshi," Washu said in a low voice. "Ayeka is alive."

            Selenity thought her ears would never stop ringing. After Washu had revealed that Ayeka was alive, trapped underground for the past decade, she'd feinted. Now she just lay in her tent, staring blindly. What kind of friend was she that she didn't even try to find Ayeka? She'd just accepted it and let her best friend go. She loved Ayeka, they were sisters of the soul, how could she have listened when they said she was gone?

            Outside her tent, the other Senshi were holding a small meeting. "What's wrong with her? One minute Washu appears, the next she's gone and Selenity is—"

            Rei waved a hand at Makoto. "Shut-up! Washu doesn't flaunt her abilities shamelessly and without reason. Something must have happened back home, I can't think of anything else that would upset Selenity so much."

            Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru sat apart from the others. Hotaru looked at her elders. "What do you think? I felt something the moment I set foot on this planet, something _other_."

            Michiru nodded. "Yes, it was like the roots of every plant were trying to reach up and touch us, I'm surprised Makoto didn't say anything with her close relationship to flora."

            The red-eyed Setsuna tapped her lower lip with a finger nail. "I personally have some idea, but my powers of the future have not been very open with me upon our arrival here. It seems the very air and stone of this planet is saturated with planet power. That's why it matured into a habitable world so fast. The question is how?"

            Haruka watched the Inner Senshi bicker amongst themselves and said, "It probably has something to do with Ayeka and Sailor Terra. Do you think it's possible the planet didn't kill her? I mean, once enough of it had assembled, she'd regain her powers as a Senshi and maybe the planet…absorbed her."

            Hotaru shivered. That was a disturbing thought. She felt something, like a gently shock up her spine. Turning in the direction it had come from, she found she faced the wasteland. The other three continued talking as she stared. "I think something's out there," she said quietly. Setsuna looked at Hotaru as Haruka continued to argue in her ear.

            Setsuna held up a hand and Haruka went silent. Looking at Hotaru she asked, "What are you sensing, Saturn?"

            Sailor Saturn rose to her feet, still wearing the appearance of Hotaru Tomoe. "Evil, darkness, and strong protection. Something good is trapped out there." The Inners now were watching Saturn as well. Abruptly, Saturn transformed and her glaive appeared in an upraised hand. She pointed it straight ahead. "There."

            The others rose to their feet. Ami bit her lip then turned and said, "I'm going to get Selenity. We'll catch up." The rest nodded and transformed. Saturn led the way across the strangely cold landscape of blackened and shriveled plants. They weren't burned, more drained. The Senshi couldn't sense any life, and the air was unusually dry. The sun on their backs didn't feel warm, it had lost that power here.

            "This is creepy," Venus said.

            Neptune nodded. "Yes, especially when the rest of the planet is bursting with life." Queen Selenity and Sailor Mercury caught up with the group as they trudged along behind Saturn. The Senshi of death and rebirth then picked up the pace and rushed dead ahead. They all eyed the dead plant growth wearily, ready for an enemy to appear.

            Saturn abruptly stopped at a thick patch where one couldn't see through all the dead matter. She tapped it with her glaive and it crumbled like a curtain. It revealed a doorway, made entirely out of some kind of silvery metal and with only a few carvings on it. Mercury came forward with her computer and did a scan. "Hmm, there's no readings at all unusual except the existence of the structure itself."

            Selenity stepped forward and examined the door with interest. She reached out and touched it with a finger. The door slid back and then to the side, opening into a large chamber. Mars held up a hand and it turned into a torch as she cautiously entered. Then came Venus, Jupiter, Ami, Selenity, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Pluto. The order was important, because the door slammed shut between Uranus and Saturn. As the Senshi turned at the sound, Venus stumbled and fell on top of Mars, whose flame went out. 

            The room was completely dark for a moment, then a dull glow seemed to emanate from the walls. Venus and Mars got back on their feet. "Now what? The door's closed," Jupiter said.

            Selenity looked around and took note of their surroundings as the light grew stronger. She frowned and walked towards a rectangular box that glowed the most. It grew drastically brighter as she approached, and was about seven feet long. Serenity rested a hand on it and the light practically blinded her. She stepped back and shielded her eyes with her hands. As the glow died down, she heard someone gasp so she looked up.

            A ghost-like figure hovered over the cover of the white, stone box. It was a young woman with pale hair and wearing a red and black body suit. Selenity frowned and inched closer. "OOH! This is so exciting!" said a whiny voice. The Senshi turned to look at the voice's source and saw Washu standing in the corner. Her eyes were shining and she looked ecstatic. She danced over next to Selenity. "Do you know what this is? It's one of the Guardians of Terra! I wish I knew which, Hilde should know."

            Ami took out her super computer again and frowned. "I can't find anything on 'Guardians of Terra.'"

            Washu waggled a finger in her face. "And neither will you. Terra fell before the Moon Kingdom was founded, it's survivors were few and they faded into the underdeveloped cultures of the moon and Earth. It's a fascinating story, Setsuna may or may not know it all. Hilde is the best one to go to for this, her grandmother was the last Queen of Terra." 

            The Senshi shared looks. "Once again, Setsuna knows more than she's telling," Mars said.

            Selenity nodded, then said quietly, "When Pandora opened her box, the one evil she successfully kept inside was Foreboding. Pluto knows what will happen, good and bad, would you really want to know?" Mars and the others looked rather grim. The atmosphere was broken by, who else, Washu

            "Jeez! They sure knew how to pick 'em. Look at her, she could model for Playboy!" Washu was still inspecting the hologram. "Aha!" she did something to the seemingly smooth stone surface and the hologram disappeared. The glow of the sarcophagus died and a grinding noise could be heard. The dark of the room was cut by the intense light from the inside of the coffin as it opened. Light beams danced as a figure that blocked some of the rays sat up and rose from its resting place into the air. It hovered and the glow died. 

            A light, seemingly normal enough, went on in the ceiling and the figure became clear. It was the Guardian from before. She looked younger than the hologram had led them to believe. Washu walked around the floating form tapping her chin. Suddenly the Guardian's eyes snapped open. They were feline gold, and alert. She descended to the floor and her feet hit with a light tap.

            She looked around and demanded, "Who are you?" 

            Washu was about to speak, but Selenity clapped a hand over her mouth and said, "I am Queen Selenity of the Moon Kingdom, a member of the triumvirate that rules the Solar System." She gestured behind herself at the Senshi. "These are my companions, the Sailor Senshi."

            The Guardian narrowed her eyes at the Senshi. "More than one, but where is my Queen? Where is Sailor Terra?" She closed her eyes and the two red jewels on her wrists began to glow. The light dimmed almost immediately and the Guardian looked at Washu. "You are a Guardian?"

            The Senshi stared at Washu, who grinned. "Of course! Sailor Terra is my cousin in this life! Oh, you must meet her mother, the current Queen."

            The Guardian shook her head and seemed to look through the wall. "HE is alive."

            Ami frowned. "He?"

            "No, HE; Dekim, Kain, Wiseman, HE goes by all these names. Sailor Terra will know what his name is now so we may vanquish him once more." She walked past the Senshi to the closed door. As she approached, it slid open and the chamber filled with light. The Guardian stepped out and the other occupants of the room followed.

            Saturn and Pluto were waiting impatiently outside. The Guardian was glaring at Pluto. "_You!_." Pluto hung her head and Saturn stood between them. 

            "No fighting, not here. Let's return to the progress and get stories straight," Saturn said. The Guardian still looked ready for a fight.

            Washu settled it by placing a restraining hand on the Guardian's arm. Shaking her head, she said, "Sailor Pluto is our Senshi of Time. I think you can understand who they are if you remember our Queen's last meeting." The Guardian's muscles relaxed. Washu stepped back and switched modes, smiling. "Besides, Guardian Tsunami is almost fully grown and Guardians Odin and Lana have yet to inherit their responsibilities from their parents." She winked and said, "Odin and Sailor Terra had a thing going a while back if I'm not mistaken."

            The Guardian smiled, and it transformed her appearance into a softer and more approachable one than before. "Yes, Odin always had a thing for our young Sailor Terra. It's funny how dedicated they were, even at the end…" She looked depressed and swallowed. "How is…Ayeka?"

            Mars crossed her arms and said, "Hold on! What is going on? Sailor Terra?"

            Selenity looked at Pluto, but it was obvious that Senshi wasn't in any mood to talk. "Ayeka and her mother are direct descendents of a pre-Moon civilization that lived on Terra. Hilde's grandmother was Queen of Terra until it and its moons were destroyed and became the asteroid belt. Since then, the planet's protector and sovereign, Sailor Terra, has relied on the meager power she can draw on from each generation. Ayeka has been the strongest yet, and in a joint effort with Pluto, her mother, and Relena Yuy, she used a special Gundam to travel to the asteroid belt and reassemble Terra."

            The Senshi who had been unaware, all but Pluto and Saturn (who'd known even if Hotaru didn't) looked as if they'd been socked in the head with a wrench. Then Sailor Mercury said, "But it killed her, she didn't come back."

            The Guardian stiffened. "WHAT?! Sailor Terra destroyed by her own planet? Never!" She jumped into the air and disappeared.

Author's Note: Haha, cliffhanger. I really wanted to get the next chapter out before my parents kicked me off and try to post it. If you're reading this, then count your lucky stars because something in this pile of circuits worked. ;) 


	10. Now It Really Gets Cooking

Author's Note: I can't leave you hanging too long, it's something I hate myself and can imagine you would prefer I avoided such things. ::lets out a sigh:: Now, I believe we left just when the 'Guardian' up and vanished…

            Washu took a step forward, then stopped. "She's gone…but…!" Washu held up her hand sand her laptop appeared. She typed away, and a portal of pink light appeared. Washu reached out and pulled a very surprised Odin out. The portal disappeared and Odin sat on his ass in the dirt, staring at the assembly. 

            "Um…" he said.

            The pink-hared minx sent her computer away and bent over to grin in Odin's face. "Odin, can you tell me where Ayeka is?"

            Odin stared at the Senshi, swallowed and said in a low voice only Washu could hear, "I was going to ask you about that. You see, Ayeka is trapped in Terra's core and can't get out."

            Washu shook her head. "No, I mean—" 

            The ground rumbled and heaved. Venus, Selenity, and Uranus fell over. Odin got to his feet and looked up into the air. Where there had been nothing, the Guardian reappeared. She marched up to Odin without pausing and picked him up by the throat. "What have you done to her, Odin!"

            He gripped her wrist and managed to free himself. Judging from the Guardian's expression, she was surprised at his strength. Odin messaged his neck and said, "Ayeka woke up this morning. She went back to sleep after making brief contact with me." He rolled his head around. "What happened?"

            To everyone's surprise, the Guardian's lip quivered and she collapsed on the ground, sobbing. "She's turned to stone!" she cried. Washu crept over and rested a supporting hand on the woman's shoulder. 

            Odin knelt in front of her and said quietly, "Ryoko, for Terra to survive, Ayeka had to survive. The only thing that can exist in the core is Terran marble. When she needs to, she'll wake up." Ryoko sniffed and looked up at him through her tears.

            "How d-do you know?" she said.

            He smiled kindly. "I, too, am a Guardian. I'm in charge of the planet's geology just as Washu is in charge of the fauna and Tsunami is in charge of the flora. It is only natural, as the Queen who rules us all's bodyguard, that you should feel extremely protective of her." 

            Ryoko nodded. "You're right." The three Guardians then used Washu's portal to depart, and the Senshi returned to their caravan somewhat stunned. Selenity could see her friends were having problems digesting all this knew knowledge, Pluto especially. She could see, without Pluto's power, that her friends would all come to her eventually in search of guidance. Selenity decided she had best come to terms with all this fast.

~2 weeks later~

            Relena looked at the garden below and smiled. Terra was beautiful, and the latest reports had just come in from the newest settlement. Everything was going swimmingly well. She only wished Odin would consider moving on. It became very obvious after Ayeka's death that the two had felt more deeply for each other than they had let show. Now that Ayeka had been gone ten years, Relena had hoped Odin would go back out and get his feet wet in society, but it was not so.

            Of course, for the past couple of weeks there had been rumors of a young woman living with him. Since he was an adult, Relena hadn't called to check, but she decided now was as good a time as any. She picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello?" said a definitely feminine voice. Relena's stomach flip-flopped. 

            "Yes, is Odin there?" Relena asked.

            The speaker said, "Just a sec." There was silence for a while, then the video screen came on and Relena saw her son.

            "Hi, Mom," he said. He didn't look nervous… "Why'd you call?"

            Relena smiled. "Odin, who was it that answered the phone?"

            Odin blinked. "Oh, you mean Ryoko. She just arrived on Terra and we're old friends. I asked her to stay with me until she's secured a job, my place is much too big for me alone."

            Relena and Heero had made sure Odin got a big house because when they had started their family, there'd only been an old apartment under Heero's name. Not wishing to have their son have to find somewhere else on short notice, they had made sure the place had room. Now Relena realized how illogical the whole thing had been.

            She nodded. "Your father and I did get a little carried away I guess. I don't believe I know Ryoko, is she from school?"

            Odin shook his head. "No, you could say we've known each other since I was born. Anyway, I have some good news." Relena waited. "Ayeka's alive."

            Forget girlfriends and houses, the floor had just disappeared. "Mom?" Odin said in a worried voice. Relena forced herself to focus on the screen again. Odin looked concerned. "Are you alright?" 

            Relena swallowed and took deep breaths. "Yes, I believe so. Did you just say Ayeka is alive?"

            Odin nodded. "Yes, she's been—stored?—in the planet's core this whole time. I talked to her not long ago, but she's since returned to her dormant state. We're trying to find out how to resurrect her for good."

            Relena frowned. "Who is 'we?'"

            "Well, there's Ryoko, Selenity, Washu, Sasami, I'm sure you've heard of the Sailor Senshi, and Setsuna is in on it too."

            "Tell me when you figure out something."

~~They didn't figure out anything. For all of Washu's science and all the Senshi's powers and Ryoko's abilities and Odin's love didn't seem to make any difference. Ayeka did not wake up again to make contact with Odin, she never batted an eyelash when Ryoko teleported to the core and tried to phase her queen and friend out of the clinging rock. Washu's instruments picked up a core of power inside the stone that was Ayeka, but otherwise she was just like the rock that held her. The Senshi matured, married, passed on their powers and responsibilities to the next generation. Selenity and Damien married, uniting the Earth and Moon Kingdoms. People then turned to Terra to see if a union was possible between the two remaining families, only to remember that the only daughter of that particular family had died years before. 'Small Lady' Serenity II took up her mother's place and power. Hilde outlived Duo and all of her friends, and still looked like she was in her early forties when Queen Selenity passed her power on to her daughter. Through it all, two things seemed amazingly constant. One was Ayeka, who remained a highly classified secret, and the other was the four Guardians(Lana was not. That was un petite mistake). Odin, Tsunami, Washu and Ryoko took on different identities as the times saw fit, and continued to search for a was to restore their queen. It has been some sixty years since we saw our heroes last, and a new generation has inherited the torch.~~

            "It's over—eek!" Sailor Venus leapt to the side as a dark blob of negative energy flew at her. She was actually almost forty, but looked and acted about fifteen. The second generation of Senshi had grown to puberty quickly and then…stalled. It had caused their parents, and just about everyone else, headaches whenever they thought about it. There had been no scientific explanation, so everyone had been forced to adjust.

            Now the new Sailors were fighting a strange enemy. The forces of evil and chaos and hate had appeared in their purest forms, dark shadows that could only be trapped or destroyed by light. Sailor Moon jumped in front of Venus and pointed her finger at the blob. It squealed as she screamed, "Moonbeam!" A beam of light likes the cannons of old enveloped the tiny blob and it vanished. Moon turned to her friend and asked, "Can you stand?"

            Venus nodded and mumbled something as she got to her feet. Her appearance was strongly similar to her mother, Minako, except her eyes were a soft brown and her hair wasn't quite as blond. Moon looked like her mother, but with startling red eyes and pink hair. Mars approached the two Senshi and looked at the scorched outline of the blob on the street. She too looked like her mother, except her hair was bright purple. Mercury looked enough like her mother to pass, but the major change was that like the rest of her friends, she had extremely long hair. Jupiter was tall like her mother, and had strange green highlights in her brown hair, which was also extremely long.

            The outer Senshi had gone off to find their own cure for Ayeka and not been seen again. Serenity faced a darker enemy with fewer allies than her mother, and only their extensive training and experience kept them from being annihilated. Sailor Moon looked at her Senshi and said, "They only ever seem to follow us, so let's go on vacation." 

            Mars looked ready to gag. "You've got to be kidding! We'd be leaving the Earth defenseless!"

            Sailor Moon nodded. "I understand your concerns, but you can't deny that the shadows only attack us." Mars was silent. Sailor Jupiter was jumping up and down with excitement.

            "We're going on a trip! We're going on a trip! We're going— where?" Venus rolled her eyes at her unusually perky friend.

            Sailor Moon smiled and said, "How about Terra? Queen Hilde has been asking me to visit since I was twenty." Then she sobered and said, "Of everyone else, she can probably understand us best. She's just like us." The Senshi were solemn for a moment before Jupiter smiled and started to dance.

            "We're going to Ter-ra! We're going to Ter-ra!" she sang. ::sweatdrop::

            "Wow!" Mei (Mars) said. "It's huge!" The royal palace of Terra was a giant tree, a living tree, that seemed to still be in the process of creating additions. A gate of vines let them through and the car stopped at the front door. A middle-aged woman stood there, her hair so dark a blue it was almost black. She wore a simple light blue dress, and her eyes shimmered as she welcomed her guests.

            "It's nice to meet you, Cousin," Hilde said formally. Serenity nodded and smiled.

            "It is also nice to have an opportunity to come visit you, Cousin." It was strange, but the title 'cousin' was used for fellow royalty. Serenity had never had the opportunity to use it before. 

            Hilde waved a hand. "Please, this way." The Senshi followed their host into the immense palace and were impressed. Their home in Crystal Tokyo was the Crystal Palace. The castle on Terra was the Tree Palace for a reason. Small trees were everywhere, and fountains were plentiful, and the whole place exuded a relaxing and comforting atmosphere. 

            An hour later, the Senshi had had a grand tour and were settling in their rooms. "This place is awesome," Mimi (Mercury) said as she sat on Serenity's bed. Serenity nodded. Mimi quieted and said, "You don't look so happy."

            Serenity shrugged. "It's beautiful, but I got this weird feeling when we arrived. Do you think it's possible the shadows are from here?"

            Mimi tapped her chin. "Hmm, maybe. I'll run a scan and see what I come up with." She left to go do her thing and Serenity lay down to take a nap.

            She was rudely awakened by someone shaking her. Serenity opened blurred eyes on a shape she recognized. "What is it, Kikyo?"

            Jupiter pulled on her queen's arm and said, "There's a shadow outside bigger than anything we've ever seen before! It started attacked the vine gates and has almost gotten through." Serenity's muddled mind became alert and she ran from the room, transforming as she went into Sailor Moon. The shadow was as tall as a second story building, and as wide as it was tall. The vine gates looked withered and dead where it touched, and new vines weren't growing fast enough to keep it out.

            Mars, Venus, and Mercury were already there. "Mercury Blaster!" the Senshi shouted. The beam created a hole in the thing, but nothing more. Stunned Sailors watched the shadow heal itself and continue pressing against its barrier. "No!" Mercury cried.

            Sailor Moon planted her feet securely on the ground and faced the shadow. She brought her hands up and yelled, "Moonshine!" A ball of intense white light formed and she threw it. The shadow paused as the attack tore through it, leaving a wide gash. The rough edges smoothed and it continued on.

            Venus ran over to Sailor Moon and said, "It didn't heal completely! Maybe if we keep up a steady round of our most powerful attacks it won't have time to recover?" Moon smiled and nodded. She shouted the order to Mars and Mercury and the Senshi lined up before the gate.

            One by one, they threw their best and brightest. This worked for two rounds, then half the shadow was gone, but they had no energy left. "I c-can't move," Mercury said from the ground. They had each collapsed after their second blast. It was too much power for them to try to use all at once, their bodies weren't ready.

            Sailor Moon sat on the ground, trembling. She brought a hand up to her bow and removed the jewel that shined there. It was the ginzuishou. "Please, someone, help us," she prayed. Nothing happened, and a loud crash announced the end of the gate's resistance.

            Down below, a single hair moved in a gentle breeze generated by the hot air seeking to intrude on it through the shield. It had remained trapped in the stone by its master, who had left it to keep her tomb warm for her.

            The Senshi were struggling to their feet to summon the last of their strength to get rid of this mother of all shadows when the ground's furious shaking knocked them back down. The ground directly in front of the approaching shadow split open and a streak came out. It was a bright, silver light that paused above the scene before coming back down and resting its feet on the ground before the defeated Senshi.

            Moon stared up at the back of a strange woman wearing a glowing fuku and carrying silver knives with gold blades. She stared at the shadow, as if daring it to come closer. The shadow hesitated, then rushed forward. The strange Senshi leapt up and pointed her daggers at the being. "Terra's Wrath!" she shouted, and the shadow was engulfed in a perfect sphere of light. The woman then flew down and stabbed the light sphere with her daggers and it exploded. When the Sailor Senshi could see again, the shadow was gone.

            The strange young woman was standing in front of the ruined gate and knelt beside the last vine as it struggled to grow. She rested a hand on it and it stopped thrashing and sprouting in every which way. "This is a job for Tsunami, but since she's not here…" she said, and a green light traveled from her hand to the vines. They dissolved into dust and fresh growth erupted from the ground to become a new gate. When that was done, the stranger turned around and the Senshi got their first good look at their savior.

            Red eyes, purple hair, older than them for sure—or at least more mature. A choker that seemed to be nothing but diamonds encircled her neck. Her fuku was white and metallic silver, which shimmered in different colors as she moved. Her daggers had disappeared, but there were miniature ones crossed under a circle on her crown—which she had instead of a tiara. Sailor Moon had the strangest urge to kneel and kiss this woman's boots. "Thank-you," she said instead.

            The woman blinked, and at first Moon thought she was crying, but then she noticed the silvery teardrop was a mark of some kind and not a real tear. "Who are all of you?" the stranger asked.


	11. A History In Hilde's Reading Corner

Author's Note: Yes, it's been a while, but I haven't forgotten you. I took a test on A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man on Friday, it was one essay, but the doc makes it count. ::tears run down Ayeka's face as she messages her pour hand:: Still, I will triumph over the darkness and submit to you a new chapter in our epic tale!

            Hilde could hardly believe it. She hadn't felt the Terra power return, so she'd assumed the planet had reabsorbed it. Now Ayeka, her one child and heir, stood before her in a shimmering gown with their royal guest from the Moon Kingdom. Hilde smiled and said, "I shouldn't be surprised that you got out on your own, but I am." She rose from her throne and came down the steps of the dais to the large audience chamber floor. "Your Guardians will probably start crying, they've been trying to get you out for years."

            Ayeka's lip twitched in an attempt to smile. "Somehow, knowing them…"

            A large, pink portal appeared in the middle of the room. Mimi (Mercury) jumped out of the way as four very odd-looking people came in. One just appeared, one slowly materialized, and two stepped out rather normally. The one who had came out of thin air had a dark tail which whipped around behind her as she turned golden eyes on the royalty assembled at the throne. The one who'd seemed to fade in stood on the ground in elaborate robes and had hair as long as Ayeka's. The first to step from the portal was a young man with intense blue eyes and a body that made Kikyo's (Jupiter) jaw drop open. The last to arrive was a girl who looked even younger than the Senshi, with pink hair.

            "You're here!" The flying one shouted. She streaked across the room and knocked Ayeka back a step, but the force should've knocked them both over. "You're alive! You're alive!" she repeated over and over.

            Ayeka smiled and hugged the newcomer back. "Yes, Ryoko, I'm back to stay." The cyan-hared woman with the tail took a step back and pointed a finger at Ayeka. ( Not THAT one.)

            "Why did you finally decide to join us? We've been having a crisis on our hands trying to take care of all this without your help!" Ayeka looked down.

            "I'm sorry, Ryoko, but I turned into Terran marble to keep myself alive and have only recently been able to reverse the effect. I tried, I really did, but…the power just wasn't there."

            Ryoko stepped back. "Okay, then, but now you have to explain to him." She pointed at the center of the room past the gawking Kikyo to Odin. Ayeka seemed to freeze.

            "Odin…" she whispered.

            He wouldn't have believed it if it hadn't happened to him. Odin had been sitting at his desk when that chord between himself and Ayeka hummed to life. It had nearly knocked him out of his chair. He'd summoned the other Guardians and they had immediately gone to the throne room where Odin could feel her presence. That initial shock could only have been surpassed by seeing her face again.

            There she stood, just as his memory said she should—both lifetimes. On her neck, not her mother's, was the necklace. The stones were rare before, now probably the last of their kind. Moons Tears, the purest of diamonds. They had been created in the explosion at the beginning of the universe with the power of Sailor Terra. All Senshi were her children, she was the garden their seeds had sprouted from. Now he saw the current Senshi of the Solar system standing around looking surprised, shocked, blank, and...why was she looking at him like that?

            "Odin…" the sound of her voice whispering his name was as loud as a shout. He looked at her from across the room, unmoving. She also stood still, meeting his eyes. Suddenly they were both moving, and met in the middle of the floor. Odin wrapped his arms around her and began stroking her hair. Ayeka gripped him in arms as strong as steel beams, but her Guardians had been chosen to withstand her strength. She sobbed and buried her face in his shoulder. "Odin…"

            "Shh, you're here, with us," he said in a deep and soothing voice. Once she had a handle on her emotions, they walked out into the garden alone, still in one another's arms.

            Serenity watched them go and tried to figure out what was going on. She walked up to Queen Hilde and said, "Um, Your Majesty—"

            Hilde held up a hand. "I am no longer Queen of Terra, Ayeka holds that power now." Serenity blinked. The woman held her hand out in a gesture of friendship and said, "I can answer some questions, though."

            The Senshi gathered around to hear the information straight. "You see, there was once a planet called Terra. Millennia before the Moon Kingdom rose, Terra had a rich and advanced civilization that had been carefully guided by its monarchy. This line was the oldest of all, tracing its blood and power back to the first Sailor Terra, who was born with the universe. She created order out of chaos and decided to settle down on one of the universe's worlds. She then named the planet after herself. One thing led to another, and life came to be on that planet. Her power to organize and rearrange sped up Terra's development."

            Mimi gasped. "Just like this Terra formed?"

            Hilde paused and nodded. "I guess so, but a bit slower. Eventually, humans came to be. Seeing that they were just like her, Sailor Terra took it upon herself to lead them. She fell in love with one of the Terrans, and died during the birth of their one and only child.

            "Each generation of Sailor Terras lived several generations, but the power was too much for a single mortal. The last Sailor Terra, my great-great-aunt, had made plans in her youth to create lesser Senshi all over the universe before it became too big for her power to reach. While she was doing this, she'd need protection. The four Guardians were chosen and bestowed with certain responsibilities during her stasis. 

            "However, an evil that had stayed small enough for her not to notice, took advantage of the planet's weakness during her stasis. It rose and became a man, a bird, a serpent, any form it chose. Its minions were formless shadows that traveled with the speed of darkness, faster than light. They infiltrated Terra's life and corrupted it from within. 

            "The Guardians were overpowered without their queen, and killed or sealed away. Terra then destroyed itself, but only because Sailor Terra bid it to. Her niece inherited her necklace of Moons Tears and became a holder of the power. I am her descendent, and Ayeka is her reincarnation."

Author's Note: ::Ayeka is seen bowing up and down:: I'm soooo sorry this is so short and late, but there's been a lot with colleges and district auditions and life. I just wanted you guys to know I'm alive. Now ::yawns:: I'm going to bed. - - ::snores::


	12. Goddess of Ages

Author's Note: ::Sits back and licks her lips:: I love turkey day! To add spice to my holiday, we got snow the day before (this used to say yesterday, but I haven't been able to get this posted) and school was canceled! (This means an extra day of vacation.) And Seniors don't have to make up snow days! Hahahahahahaha! ::computer sweatdrops:: Oops. Err, what I meant to say was 'how nice!' Without further ado, the fic!

            Ayeka's feet seemed to be in agreement with Odin's as they walked into the center of the garden. They sat on a sheltered bench and Ayeka finally gathered the courage to look into Odin's eyes again. He was crying. She reached out and wiped them away. He caught her hand and kissed it. "Ayeka, you have no idea how hard it's been. While we're powerful, we are still just Guardians when compared to your power."

            She looked away and her hand dropped into her lap. "I'm—not as powerful as I used to be, Odin. Maybe I still have the power to hold my own in a fight against you, but Ryoko could pound me into the ground."

            Odin blinked in surprise. "What? How—"

            Ayeka put a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Please listen, Odin, I don't want to have to repeat this." She took a deep breath and looked around as if the flowers would help her find the words. "When I was alive before, I decided the power I had was too much for one sentient being—"

            "Ayeka, we know all about that—" Odin started.

            She held up a hand. "Please let me finish," she said quietly. He sighed. "I went into deep meditation and created over a million different seeds of life. I sent them out into the universe, but a select few refused to go. In my weakness, I had used my life energy to create these last few, and they were too close to me to go any distance. By this time I realized Terra was falling into ruin, and the planet itself was in distress. My power crippled, I sent Terra's only hope for salvation to the moon, because I thought I could still handle it on my own." Ayeka took a shaky breath. "That was my first mistake as a mortal."

            Odin watched Ayeka's face and posture closely. She was deeply ashamed about something. "Odin, I wasn't strong enough to purge Terra, so I—" Ayeka's voice failed her. Odin reached out to offer support, but she scooted out of arm's reach and continued. "I drew on my connection to Ryoko and sent her into the tomb where I had been sleeping. I wasn't sure how reincarnation worked, and one of us had to survive to find the others. It didn't occur to me that by doing this she'd sleep until woken up, and who would know to look for her? 

            "I took—stole—your power and that of Tsunami and Washu and used it to preserved a section of the planet's surface. With you three dead, the darkness went rampant, and I destroyed it all. Every leaf, every child, every mother, with the exception of a few of my relatives who went to the moon. How my necklace became a vessel for power, I'm not sure. It's rather confusing, but the Senshi don't require their transformation pens any more than I do. The power is in them, but only Pluto and Saturn seem to be capable of transforming without assistance."

            Odin waited a moment to be sure she was done, then said, "Ayeka, what's really wrong? What you did can't be what's troubling you."

            She smiled half-heartedly and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Well, there was that one thing I never told you…"

            He felt pulled. "What?"

            She swallowed and whispered, "I was pregnant with our firstborn when I self-destructed."

            Serenity felt a little awkward, sitting at the long table. It was a plate of black glass held up by a twisted vine growing from the floor. To her right were her friends, the Senshi, going down one side. To her left at the head of the table was Queen Ayeka. Opposite Serenity sat a mature woman with dark green hair, two young women she couldn't recognize, and an elderly woman in black. (A widow?) And beside them were the four Guardians from earlier. It was rather esteemed company, even by Serenity's standards.

            Ayeka rested her hands in her lap and sat very regally on her throne. She looked at the people at the table and said, "I have gathered you all here to discuss the issue of the threat to our solar system. When I last had the means to check the planets for HE, there was no reason to. Now I must turn to all of you."

            Washu narrowed her eyes. "What are you taking about, Ayeka?"

            Ayeka's eyes flashed. "You will address me properly, Guardian."

            The genius looked like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. "Yes, Your Majesty, forgive me." Ayeka nodded.

            "I'm talking about all of you. Your power used to be mine, just because I've been reborn doesn't mean I get everything back." Washu sat back, understanding. Ayeka turned to look at the girls to her left. "Neptune, Uranus, Pluto, I hope you can visit your homes in safety to check for HIS influence." The green-hared lady and two girls nodded. Then Ayeka looked at the old woman in black. "Saturn, I will see to it that your planet is searched, and its moons." The old woman nodded.

            Ayeka then turned to Serenity, who gulped. "Queen Serenity, as the daughter of my close friend, I hope to find a friend in you as well. I must apologize for your prolonged lifespan, but as children of my soul, you inherited part of my immortality." She gave each of the Inner Senshi a good look and asked, "Will each of you travel to your respective homes and check them? It is safe to say Earth's aura keeps the shadows away, but the moon and Terra are known to have them. Once we're sure the other planets are clear and that this evil was birthed on this world, we can plan a defense." She looked around the table and stood. The others stood. "I trust this can be done soon so we may formulate a plan within one generation." 

            The Senshi shared looks. A generation? "Is it really going to take that long?" Kikyo asked Mimi. Saturn, the elderly Hotaru, laughed. 

            "Hardly! She's just leaving me that much time to die and pass my powers on to someone else." This didn't seem to disturb Hotaru as much as it did the youngsters. Pluto, Setsuna, looked at the doors Ayeka had just left through. Her mouth was a thin line, and her eyes were hard. She started for the door.

            "Don't, Setsuna," Odin said commandingly. She turned. He looked just as stern, but his eyes were on fire. "The Queen is aware of the impact of her actions, and I agree with her judgment. She may be mortal, but her memory goes back way beyond yours."

            The other occupants of the room watched the two carry out a staring contest until Setsuna turned away and stomped out of the hall. Hotaru got to her feet and started to slowly make her way to the opposite doors. Serenity and her troupe watched the two Outer Senshi as they watched them and tried to figure out how to approach them. "Sailors Neptune and Uranus?" she said finally, holding out a hand to the couple, not entirely sure which was which.

            The blond stared at Serenity's hand, but the turquoise-eyed one took it and smiled. "I'm Yoko, this is Ki. Don't mind her, she's always playing it tough." Yoko looked at the empty throne and said, "It's hard to imagine anyone older than Setsuna, but it's possible."

            She cast a glance at the four Guardians, who were turning heads and looking at one another as if a conversation were going on without words. Telepathy? (We have a winner! You get a cookie! J )

            Yoko leaned forward and whispered to Serenity, "Setsuna let it slip once that Odin and the Queen used to have a thing for each other. It makes sense since he's the only male she's ever given power to."

            Serenity blinked. It was true, Odin was the only guy. This didn't seem to bother him, indeed, he seemed blind to Kikyo's open infatuation and that he was surrounded by beautiful women. Serenity sighed. "My parents were in love when the Moon Kingdom fell all those millennia ago, and met again in this life. It was a fantasy romance on a colony, I think. I just wish there was someone that perfect for me."

            Yoko rolled her eyes. "Don't we all."

            Ayeka looked at the view of Earth and the Moon and mentally grinned. In this purely energetic form, she had no lips to smile with, but the feeling was there. There were fewer colonies than before, and a quick peek at Earth told her that humans were back. Out of curiosity, she searched the northern hemisphere for one place in particular. There! She gazed down at the house of her childhood, with her parents. She missed her dad terribly, and all of her friends. 

            She came back to herself and opened her physical eyes. Yes, Earth was safe. The moon only had a small surface infection of HE, the Senshi had done well. Still, Terra seemed to have a whole in its aura. The evil presence was strong in a few select locations and undetectable at any distance form these concentrations. This disturbed her, because the shadows should have been moving on to infect other places. HE was waiting for something.

            Ayeka sat back and felt the throne wrap her up with its strong branches. Yes, sleep, sleep to recover, sleep to recover her drained powers to their fullest. 

            The only problem was that she didn't know how long it would take.

            Odin looked at the picture on his desk and sighed. It was his parents when they were young, standing in front of his father's Gundam. The times had changed, and mobile suits were now obsolete technology. Mankind was prepared for a peaceful existence, as long as HE kept away. It disturbed Odin that the ancient being had survived Terra's destruction and returned with the planet. What would his father have done in his position? 

            He snorted. Heero probably would've put a gun in his pocket and taken a hover car out to the nearest infestation. The gun would've done nothing, but it was all his father would've known to do. Odin looked away from that picture and gazed out the window. The light outside came in his window and hit the prism he'd put there. It flashed and momentarily blinded him.

            When the sunspots cleared, Odin jumped to his feet. His office was gone, replaced with an eerie wasteland of gray dust. On the ground lay the dust-covered body of his beloved Ayeka. He ran over and knelt beside her. He touched her arm and snatched it back. She was stone! On her hard, gray cheek shone a single diamond. Odin frowned, something about that tear teased his memory, hinting at something. A diamond tear…it had to be important…this was a vision…but was it merely symbolic? 

            Suddenly he was back in his office, holding the prism in his hand. He'd risen from his desk and was standing at the window. Why was he holding a prism—! Did Ayeka have a tear on her cheek now? Odin ran from his office, startling the secretary outside and almost knocking over an intern. Apologizing, he ran on.

            Down the hall and to the right, was Ayeka's office. Beyond that was her private quarters. He had to find her now! Odin burst into the outer office, startling a few people. Then he ran on into the Queen's inner office and shut the door.

            Ayeka looked up at him, startled. There, on her left cheek, hidden before by a simple spell, was the tear. It had been all the way down her cheek in his vision, but right now it was just an inch from her eye. She met his eyes and then looked at her desk. "Why, Ayeka? Why didn't you tell me you could regain your powers?" he demanded.

            She got up from her seat, pearly robes flowing and shimmering as she walked to the tall windows along one wall. "How did you figure it out?" she asked, crossing her arms as she looked out the window.

            Odin stood firm. "I had a vision, and this helped," he held up the prism and she was forced to turn and look. Ayeka's lips twitched.

            "So, as long as this diamond remains on my face, my powers will be scattered and sorted into different types. That is your conclusion?" Odin nodded. Ayeka smiled and turned back to her desk. "That is precisely correct."

            Odin strode up to her desk and slammed the prism down on it as Ayeka sat once more. "Why did you lie to us? Why didn't you tell us we were going to lose our powers?"

            Ayeka froze. "So this is about power." She seemed to change, her almost teasing attitude shifted to something less friendly. "Do you not want to lose your powers, Guardian? Do you feel enraged because it will be taken from you?"

            Odin noticed the change in tone. "That's not my problem. The power isn't mine, you gave it to me, Your Majesty, and you can have it back. I would feel no pain in living a normal life, but these people have come to depend on themselves to protect the ones they love and their people. On top of that, you _lied to us!_"

            The Queen of Terra folded her hands on the desk and said, "I did not choose the ambitious to be my Guardians and seed holders, but I am relieved to hear that." She reached out and picked up the prism. Rainbows played over her face as she said, "The restoration of my power will not mean the end of yours. A lifetime separates me from all of you, and has made each of you more independent. As for the lie…"

            Ayeka closed her hand with the prism in it and opened it. It was still a prism. "When I have fully recovered, which should be soon, I will cleanse the Moon Kingdom of its taint from HE and then turn on Terra. His shadows aren't moving, they haven't stirred since I awoke, and that means HE is waiting for something. I don't plan on giving him a chance." She handed the prism back to Odin and met his eyes. "When that turns into a diamond, my power will have been restored, for transformation is the highest of my powers."

            Odin nodded, and bowed. He turned and was just about to leave through the door when Ayeka said, "You can see my secret because you know about it. Don't tell the others." He walked out.

            _HE shifted in his dark palace. Loyal shadows, given life by him so they might move for themselves, surrounded him and soothed his nerves. Ever since that thrice-cursed bitch returned to the throne he hadn't been able to leave his abode because of the pain it caused him. It was a new pain, different from that of light. Why couldn't he go abroad as he used to, and walk among the Terrans as if he were one of them? Before this had been his favorite past-time, but now it was a new enemy he faced._

_            Somehow, Terra had made smaller and weaker versions of herself just as he had. Why had she taken up such a strategy when it had failed him before? One thing was certain; this would be a new game. HE just wondered who the main players would be._

            "Yes!" Serenity smiled and skipped, her pink hair bobbing up and down. Nari (Venus) stuck her tongue out at her monarch and made threatening gestures with her croquette mallet. From a distance, Ayeka and Setsuna watched the young heroes run around trying to knock each other out with their lawn ornament of choice. 

            Setsuna looked at Ayeka to try and get an idea what the queen was feeling. The red eyes looked down and the queen said, "I was like that for over a billion years, and the universe has that many fewer planets and galaxies thanks to my younger years." Setsuna looked back at the young Senshi below in the garden. "Sometime I wish my immaturity had lasted longer, or that I had never woken up and remained Ayeka Maxwell. Surely you feel the same from time to time."

            Setsuna nodded. "Yes, often I wish the Pluto power had found another host, but that is just the way or mortals. We often yearn for what we know we cannot have."

            Ayeka sighed and turned from the window. She sat at her desk and said, "I expect to be back at full power in a few weeks. Saturn will not be joining us in our battle, and the Senshi will have to follow Serenity and you in their fight against HE's army. HE doesn't know that my plan is to meet him as an equal."

            Pluto frowned. "Is that wise? If you split us up, without Saturn, and go off with the Guardians to fight HE—"

            Ayeka glared daggers at Setsuna. "I know, do not forget whose power of foreboding you have. While you have had thousands of years to hone it, I have had longer. I died because I became weak, mortal. Soon I'll be back to my old self and HE will be contained."

            Setsuna didn't know what to say to this. "Contained? HE cannot be destroyed?"

            The queen shook her head. "To destroy him would be unwise, it would leave a gap for an even greater evil to fill." Her image in the high-backed chair was one of near perfection. Setsuna had noticed that as Ayeka's strength returned, she had changed and become more distant. Slowly, Terra's queen was becoming more and more like a god than a Senshi. While it should have made her feel better to know her queen was the most powerful being in the universe, Setsuna couldn't ignore what her Pluto powers were emphatically telling her was to happen. This was Ayeka, Sailor Terra, not a regular Senshi. How could a god die?

            Odin picked up a towel and dried off his face. It felt good to run, he enjoyed the physical exertion and didn't teleport everywhere like his peers. Of course, Ryoko was part demon from outside the solar system, Tsunami was incredibly wise, and Washu was a genius. He was just Odin, a few extra abilities normal humans didn't have and a strange inability to age. "Ehem," said a voice. Odin looked down at Washu.

            "Hello, Washu, what is it?" he asked.

            Washu motioned for him to follow her and led Odin off into a dark area of the garden. She looked worried. "Odin, are you aware that Ayeka is regaining all of her lost powers?"

            Odin nodded.

            Washu crossed her arms and said, "There are a couple of problems with that. One, is that having that much power is just asking for trouble. Pluto has been dropping heavy hints that something bad is coming for Ayeka that the queen insists on ignoring. The second is…" she leaned forward and Odin bent down to hear. Washu brought up her hand and whispered, "The only reason Ayeka could love you was she was mortal, with a mortal's heart. I bet you've noticed, but her personality isn't all that has changed. Ayeka is quickly becoming a pure being once more, and could not conceive children even if she wanted to."

            Odin closed his eyes and turned his face up into the sun's surprisingly warm light. He felt no tears or sadness, just a deep ache. Through no fault of his own, he was losing Ayeka. Slowly, but surely, she had been drifting away from all of them. The only person she talked to for any length of time was Setsuna, and even then only sporadically. She had already taken over his, Tsunami's, Ryoko's, and Washu's responsibilities. Her office hours were 24/7. Odin realized he couldn't remember seeing or hearing about her getting a meal or any sleep in recent months. 

            Washu left him to his musings. Odin stood there in the sun, asking himself; what could threaten a god?

Author's Note: Yes, as you might have guessed, my online service hasn't worked for about two weeks, now. I don't feel like I can add any more to this chapter without it being the ending. I AM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY!


	13. Dun Dun Dun The End Is Near My Friends!

Author's Note:  ::see a flimsy fort made out of couch cushions with a bruised and battered hand rising from it:: Please don't kill me! I've figured out the secret to my server's bad attitude problem and have started getting around it, but it is a lot of work and I'm a certified couch potato. ::head pops up:: No rotten fruit? Yay! ::cushions go flying and Ayeka sits in front of her computer:: Now, I'm going to write the ending to this o-so-beautiful work of mine!

            _HE shifted in his dark lair, waiting. HE could sense the time was near, and the battle would begin anew. This time it would be different, they would be evenly matched, and he doubted Terra would destroy herself again. A sudden darkness hit his soul and HE rose once again!_

            Serenity was exhausted. The shadows had been attacking non-stop for three days. Her Senshi had split up to cover more area, and were defending their settlements in shifts. Serenity had ended up with Pluto, who seemed to spend most of her time worrying when she should be resting, and staring off into space when she should be fighting. It was straining the young queen's patience. Still, she allowed the eldest of her order some leeway.

            Serenity blasted another creeping shadow and continued to meditate. It was the easiest way to sense the little buggers, eyes were easily fooled. She felt a strong power behind her and turned to blast it, but a hand caught her wrist. Serenity stared. "Pluto! You should be resting—"

            "HE's here," Pluto said solemnly. 

            The pink-hared Senshi frowned. "Who?"

            Pluto looked at Serenity meaningfully. "HE." Serenity nodded and looked out at the lightening sky, it was almost dawn. "You won't see him, HE's too good for that. I wanted to warn you so you wouldn't go running off after him. HE is Sailor Terra's nemesis, and will brush the rest of you aside like so many moths. Can you tell the rest to stay where they are and not interfere?"

            Serenity nodded. "Yes, but why can't you tell them?" Pluto shook her head and disappeared. Serenity pouted, then remembered she had some people to contact. _Senshi? It's Serenity…_

            "HE's coming."

            Ayeka looked at Pluto. "I know." She turned back to her paper work and finished it with a dot. The queen had finished her ascent into power, and seemed to actually glow. Her hair hung perfectly down her back, and a strange starburst design had appeared on her forehead in bright white. Her eyes were almost completely empty, and her face void of emotion. Pluto felt dread, a familiar feeling for one who sees the future, but it was an intense dread that felt like her own death. Ayeka held out a hand. "I expect they are all safely away."

            Pluto nodded. "Of course." Ayeka hadn't needed to ask, she already knew, but Pluto was touched at this attempt at conversation. 

            Ayeka gave an empty smile. "I shall join the fight, then." She faded away. 

            Pluto collapsed to the floor and cried so hard she thought she'd suffocate.

            Odin was outside the palace with the other Guardians, waiting tensely. The shadows had stopped attacking a moment ago and they were all feeling something big approaching. Tsunami could feel the plants die, Washu could hear the animals run or get caught under the leviathan. Odin had tuned his powers out and was searching for his lover. Where was she? She wasn't dead, or gone, she was inside that being who was the Queen of Terra. Odin searched for that silver chord. He needed the strength of that bond about now.

            His concentration broke when the ground shook. Washu shouted something, Odin couldn't make out what, and he turned toward the sounds of heavy feet. Fading into existence in front of the tree palace was a strange Gundam. It was big as Gundams went, but this one was different from any other. Where metal and sensors should've been on the head, there was Ayeka's face. Her hands were skin and bone, but her armor was that of a Gundam. The light glinted off her shiny surface as she pulled out her twin daggers and faced the forest.

            "Ayeka?" Ryoko squeaked. Their queen looked down and Ryoko cowered. This was the goddess in her true form, as she had been born. Humanity had been created in her image with all the harsh edges smoothed over. Terra abruptly leapt into the sky with enough force to shake the ground and blow up dirt. The Guardians below had to shield their eyes from the dust and looked up just in time to see a shadow cover the sun as it pursued Sailor Terra into space.

            _HE followed his archrival with energy. Soon, she would no longer stand in his way and the universe would be his. Why was she leaving the planet behind? If he wasn't mistaken, she fought only in strong gravitational fields. No mind, this suited HIM just fine._

_            Terra stopped abruptly and turned. HE slowed and stopped. They floated for a time, in orbit around the sun and its planetoids. _You are mine, Terra! _HE shouted. Terra smiled and her empty eyes gave a brief sign of life. _

Poor Kane, you don't understand, do you? _Terra crossed her knives in front of her face. _We're gods, and don't die. I became mortal, but was reborn. You ceased to exist when I did because the universe maintains a balance, not because I destroyed my planet._ As she spoke, she'd closed her eyes, and now she opened them. They were, bright, shining, and full of life and emotion. "This ends now!" Ayeka shouted, and she threw one of her golden blades at HIM. He moved out of the way, but the dagger followed him and sank deep into his darkness. Then Ayeka held out the other dagger and stabbed herself._

What are you doing! _Ayeka grinned as blood the color of sunshine dripped from her armor. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Terra's Wrath!" HE and Ayeka screamed as the blades tore them apart and dispersed their essence all over the universe._

~20 years later~

            Odin looked up from his desk. "Come in." The door opened and Queen Serenity came in. He smiled and got to his feet. "Serenity! How nice to see you again."

            She smiled. "It's a pleasure to be back." Then the queen sat down in front of Odin's desk and said solemnly, "We have to talk about…Ayeka."

            He lost his ready grin. "You mean Terra, don't you?" he asked. "There was no Ayeka left when we had our final showdown with HIM." His face was hard.

            Serenity reached across and touched Odin's hand. He looked at her face and saw tears. "Odin, she's back."

Epilogue:: (I didn't feel like uploading another chapter just for this.)

            Ayeka survived the final battle because At the last moment, Terra regained control and sent her mortal reincarnation back into Terra's core to regenerate once more. (Remember the hair left behind to keep that spot ready for her?) It didn't take as long as before because Ayeka retained much of her god-like power once she and Terra separated. Odin was, er, enthusiastic about her final return. The immortal couple have decided not to rush things and start off with maybe two kids in the next thousand years or so. (But they lucked out and got triplets. Teehee!)


End file.
